Question on Rank and Pay

[Pte. Bloggins]

Hey everyone,

I was promoted to Cpl a few months ago, actually nearly 2 months ahead of my 2 years' in date so I could go on course as a Cpl. However, I was still paid as a Pte until my actual 2 yrs-in date, which is when the Cpl pay kicked in. Not that I'm complaining or anything, as I was glad to get promoted early and didn't think I deserved to get the pay before I had the TI, but I hadn't thought it was possible to get paid a different rank then what you're wearing (unless it's one of those things where you take a voluntary demotion for a tour or tasking or something.) Any thoughts?

 

[Michael OLeary]

While your CO may have decided to promote you early, that does not necessarily change the effective date of promotion which will be the date your rate of pay changes. Check with your chain of command or the unit orderly room, the Chief Clerk can check your promotion message for the effective date of promotion, which will tell you if the paperwork was done to justify and request authority for an accelerated promotion (and earlier effective date) or if you were simply promoted in advance of the effective date.

 

[Drummie]

A friend and I were having a discussion about pay, and my friend happened to be in the Reserves for a year before coming to RMC. Anyways, he was making claims that in the Res, things aren't hunky dory like in the Reg F, ex. Cpls at incentive 4 for example only getting paid Cpl  3, and sometimes, troops don't even get paid when they show up. I asked how this can be possible, b/c if the forces owes someone an amount of money for time worked, isn't it kinda-sorta illegal not to pay them :
He replied by saying "The reserves are poor" and that's jsut how it goes. I said that they must be able to receive missed pay through back pay if they just go and talk to a clerk, but he still insisted that I don't know the ways of the Res F and thats just how things are.

I'm wondering, is this a common occurence? Soldiers not geting paid some days? Not getting paid at their proper incentive level? And they can't do anything about it?
Or is this jsut an isolated case where perhaps the ppl he got his point of view from just didn't have the initiative to go get their problems sorted out?
I''m quite curious to know. BTW, his opinions are based on exp. at the 8 Fd Eng Eng. in Edmonton, AB
Thanks!

 

[The_Falcon]

A friend and I were having a discussion about pay, and my friend happened to be in the Reserves for a year before coming to RMC. Anyways, he was making claims that in the Res, things aren't hunky dory like in the Reg F, ex. Cpls at incentive 4 for example only getting paid Cpl   3, and sometimes, troops don't even get paid when they show up. I asked how this can be possible, b/c if the forces owes someone an amount of money for time worked, isn't it kinda-sorta illegal not to pay them :
He replied by saying "The reserves are poor" and that's jsut how it goes. I said that they must be able to receive missed pay through back pay if they just go and talk to a clerk, but he still insisted that I don't know the ways of the Res F and thats just how things are.

I'm wondering, is this a common occurence? Soldiers not geting paid some days? Not getting paid at their proper incentive level? And they can't do anything about it?
Or is this jsut an isolated case where perhaps the ppl he got his point of view from just didn't have the initiative to go get their problems sorted out?
I''m quite curious to know. BTW, his opinions are based on exp. at the 8 Fd Eng Eng. in Edmonton, AB
Thanks!

While his reason (reserves are poor) is not correct, not getting paid the right IPC, and not getting paid at all does on occasion happen.  There are any number of reasons why this is so.  Usually its a case of human error, his or the RMS clerks at his unit.

 

[George Wallace]

There is some truth in what he says.  The Reserves operate on a Budget.  Sometimes they run out of money and must cease training and parade nights until the next fiscal year. 

However, the majority of Pay Problems in the Reserves are the result, not of lack of funds in the Budget, but in poor administration at the Unit OR.  Good Clerks keep the morale of their Units up by properly expediting the Pay Sheets.  Many Pay Problems are the result of poor, lazy, incompentent, or all of the above, Clerks not doing their jobs in an efficient and timely manner.  There are many horror stories that one hears, and they all seem to come from the same Units.  It is a serious problem, that must be addressed.

 

[Drummie]

Ah, that's what I had guessed, it's mostly admin. errors...and since they're errors, I woudl assume they cam almost always be rectified.
The way he was telling it to me made it seem like if someone tried to fix a pay problem, they'd get told where to shove it, b/c "thats how it is in the reserves".
Thanks for your replies. I don't have many admin. problems (yet :) on the Reg F side of the fence, so I was quite shocked to think that kinda stuff would happen in the Res.

 

[Dara]

The Fighting 47:

I would tell your friend to request a master pay record for the time period in question.  It will show a break down of incentive, days paid, including travel assistance.  I'm not sure how it works in the army world, but at where I work, which is air, you have access to all this information.  If he has to, I guess he should submit a memo up his chain requesting this, and maybe and explanation from the clerk of the breakdown.  RPSR can go back a year locally, but then you have to go to request through Ottawa for anything further back, but it is not difficult, just an email.

Like it was said, any unit has a budget, it has nothing to do with what the mbr is getting paid, they get paid period.  There is cutoffs, as in you have to period a minimum or maximum.  Where I am, you can only parade 14 dys Class A, anything other, should be submitted up the chain and better have a good reason.  Otherwise, I can't understand.  Did the mbr make sure to sign in?  Could be as simple as that.

 

[Pte. Bloggins]

The way he was telling it to me made it seem like if someone tried to fix a pay problem, they'd get told where to shove it, b/c "thats how it is in the reserves".

That shouldn't be. Whenever I've had a pay problem, I've gone to the unit OR and it was usually a minor thing, and the pay came in the next pay period. Anything major, and my chain of command has bugged the OR until they've fixed it. No biggie. Although problems sometimes do occur, they are rectified ASAP...for example on course I once wasn't paid for a month and a half, but was still allowed to take pay advances in case I really needed the cash.

No one has ever told me to screw off when I've brought up a pay problem...pay is one thing they don't mess around with.

 

[geo]

Your pay is a RIGHT... and no one is doing you a favor by correcting something that's gone wrong.
The urrent Res pay sistem is miles better than some of the POS stuff that existed before. But the Pay clerk has to book the Pay sheets & a "signing" authority has to verify and authorize the release of the pay twice a month (for release of 15th and 30th).
If you are given a runaround.... ask about submitting a grievance (that's a right too)

 

[FormerHorseGuard]

use to be the system worked like a square wheel.
turned but slowly.

ask for in writing,  a simple round trip memo would be a good start.
ask for the date your promotion was effective, not the date you were promoted.  sometimes CO will promote before paperwork goes thru and gets all the i dotted and t  crossed. looks good to promote on parade early then not promote at all

then check and see if your pay was increased after that  effective date. if you were on callout during the date ask for a record of pay for that  period too. if the reports do not show you being paid as your new rank after the effective date of your promotion, put a memo asking that it be looked into.

I am a former payclerk and i hate to think that clerks would screw around and not do the job right , usually mistakes happen and no one questions it or knows how to fix it at unit level.
i was in one unit that  a pay problem dragged on for 2 years for a 3 week course ( route letter never signed off or handed in at beginning of course ) and another one the callout never ended on paper and the soldier was still being paid on the Class BA 6 months after he left the call out.  both times the pay staff were part timers and did not know what  to do so it just got put to the bottom of the  IN BASKET hoping some one else would deal with it.

a couple phone calls, a quick search of the pay records and the problems were both solved , the one soldier was paid, the other soldier was suppose to pay back the pay was not entitled to .