Originally Posted by Al R
So, do we want a Federation that is able (perhaps not now, but perhaps in 10. 20 years) to call HM Forces out on strike, or to restrict working practice?
At face value no, of course we don't want that - British forces are too professional to do so anyway, although I acknowledge your point about any representative body needing teeth to be taken at all seriously by the government.
Originally Posted by Al R
So, where does that leave us? Please, not another pressure group. Instead, the MoD needs something like a Board of Governors.. not in the Chain of Command, not directing it, not supplicant to it, not reliant on it (or anyone) and certainly with little or no defence/ g’ment experience - effective establishment management is probably best practised by those with wisdom but not much technical knowledge.
That's the million dollar question isn't it? The chain of command certainly doesn't work as they have a conflict of interest - I don't even mean that critically - but balancing the defence need with welfare of those you command has always been a balancing act. Equally, we don't want the chain of command hamstrung by any more Health & Safety type legislation than they already suffer, let alone a board of governors who can pull out a figurative 'yellow card' at any point.
Maybe it's just been like this all along and the string has never snapped, with successive governments simply seeing how far they can stretch it. Because the other central question on the subject of overstretch is what that actually means - in this world of performance indicators, what is the event or events that will actually mean the cuts have gone too far, or is it simply a wasting disease? But again, when is '48hrs to live'?