JessTheDog,
MoD has an excellent record in waiving the rights of its staff, where it has a rather lamentable record is the subsequent defence in court when these waivers are challenged.
This all started with the pregnancy issue and has snowballed from there.
I couldn’t agree with you more when you say;
“penny pinching and personnel management measures that still hark back to the 1950s “
This is primarily what drove me to leave when I did.