[quote=JessTheDog;2865419]How negative! The same people who are interested in a representative Federation are those who are relied upon to do their duty in unpleasant places at great risk to life and limb. If they cannot be trusted to represent their own interests with regard to terms and conditions of service, then how can they be trusted to carry out their duties? That smacks of an anachronistic view of the Armed Forces dating back to the height of the Cold War! Our people deserve better./quote]
'How negative!', well,yes,contrary view usually are! I should have perhaps included a further name in my 'British' list, British Airways, which I had personal experience of (after privatisation, but old habits die hard!). I found a weak and vacillating pilot management had surrendered the allocation of seniority for command to the BALPA Base Councils. The result was that copilots due for command were overtaken by others favoured by the BALPA reps. Now these reps were all volunteers, giving freely of their time and efforts on behalf of their members. They weren't the problem, but the supine management that let them take over their function. Given the scenario, painted by yourself and Allan907, of the RAF today, it's deja vu all over again! Please don't imply that I would denigrate 'our people'. I care passionately for the RAF, and therefore for the men and woman who serve in it. However, unlike myself, they do not, for the most part, have experience of being represented where the CoC is wanting. BAFF is not a panacea for the ills of the RAF.
You damn my views as being anachronistic and dating back to the cold war. You are probably right! But at least it was in the main a COLD war, and we had a CoC that worked. The opposite would seem to apply in both cases now. You guys will have to attend to the first, the RAF command must see to the second. My point, still to be addressed, is that the shortcomings, detailed so ably by yourself and Allan907, of the Chain of Command have to be rectified as a sine qua non. BAFF is not, and cannot be, an alternative to that.