# 2025-160 Pay and Benefits, Pilot's Pay and Promotion

Case summary

F&R Date: 2026-03-11

The grievor disagreed with the Pilot Pay Increment (PI) he was assigned on promotion to Major (Maj). The grievor explained that because the Pilot Captain (Capt) pay table increases at a higher rate than the Maj pay table, he will be earning less in the rank of Maj than he would have had he remained a Capt, despite being expected to maintain the same qualifications in addition to additional responsibilities. The grievor submitted that the full implications of accepting a promotion to the rank of Maj were only clarified after his decision to do so. As redress, he requests three additional PIs to ensure he does not incur a financial loss for having accepted a promotion. 

The Director General of Compensation and Benefits, acting as the Initial Authority (IA), denied redress. The IA found that the grievor's rate of pay on promotion had been determined in accordance with Compensation and Benefits Instructions for the Canadian Forces (CBI) 204.04, Rate of Pay on Promotion. The IA further confirmed that the new Pilot pay structure was functioning as the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) intended; that Pilots are compensated relative to the civilian market, and that the structure is meant to encourage different career behaviours. 

The Committee found that the grievor's rate of pay on promotion was established in accordance with CBI 204.04(3)(b) and did not decrease on promotion, thus he had not been aggrieved. Regarding the pay disparity between the Capt and Maj pay tables, the Committee noted that although the discrepancy is unusual and was purposefully established in the new Pilot pay structure, neither the National Defence Act nor the CBIs specifically require that the pay of higher-ranking members be higher than their lower-ranked peers. Lastly, the Committee provided an observation that the Pilot pay implementation resulted in widespread misinformation and miscommunications in the Pilot community, as noted in an Assistant Deputy Minister (Review Services) investigation as well as in several other grievances received at the Committee. The Committee highlighted the importance of the RCAF's continued examination of the impacts of the new Pilot pay structure against its intended effects. 

The Committee recommended that the Final Authority not afford the grievor redress.