For years we've been reporting on an administrative error at the Ministry of Finance that resulted in a large number of BDF soldiers being put on the wrong salary scale and being overpaid as a result.
Well, after years of foot dragging, on Monday the Ministry of Finance authorized the Treasury Department to begin applying the correct 2019 BDF pay scales, effective retroactively from June 1, 2019. This will reduce some soldiers' paychecks. The compromise is that officers will not be required to repay what was overpaid to them between 2019 and 2025.
And while it is a salary correction, and not a pay cut - it will mean less take home pay for many soldiers - and there has been grumbling.
And in a release last night, the Ministry of National Defence and Border Security pushed back against the narrative framing it as a salary cut. The Ministry emphasized that not all BDF members were affected by the error.
Additionally, the Ministry announced the approval of two new allowances for BDF soldiers-the Jungle and Maritime Allowance and the Bush Allowance-which will be paid retroactively starting with the July 2025 salary cycle, effective from May 1, 2024.
