London, Nov 30: The morale of British Royal Marines
serving on the front line in Afghanistan has plummeted after
a 3,000 pounds allowance was deducted from their wages,
following a "dreadful blunder" by Royal Navy administrators.
The revelation will come as an acute embarrassment for
Prime Minister Tony Blair, who only last week was photographed
among royal marines as he promoted Britain's strategy in the
Taliban-ravaged country, a media report said.
Politicians and navy chiefs were so concerned over the
impact of the wage cut that they sent extra human resources
staff to Afghanistan to inform more than 1,000 commandos
affected by the error, The Daily Telegraph reported.
The marines had been told they could receive up to 17
pounds extra a day as a special allowance for being on
overseas operations during the six-month operation.
But they were misled and the ministry of defence has now
refused to pay the extra 3,000 pounds the men had been
promised, the report said.
The Ministry of Defence has realised the error and has
told marines that they will not be getting the money they
thought they would.
"The Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel will be paid
under joint personnel agency arrangements from this month,"
the spokeswoman said.
"Regrettably the internal royal navy instruction was
wrong and some personnel are disappointed that they will not
receive this substantial uplift. However, it is important to
note that they are not taking a cut," she said.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, November 30, 2006, 00:00