Originally Posted by
number-cruncher
After all the pain of the MRA4 being cancelled and uncertainty over our futures, it now seems we (WSOp's/WSO's) are being told that our job is now also at risk as there aren't enough jobs to use us up. To say this is a major kick in the B****** is an understatement. How can the Royal Air Force treat it's employees with such contempt after all the years service given and loyalty shown through thick and thin. On a count on the manning website there were 181 posts filled at Kinloss in the WSOp cadre. (sorry no count for WSO's)
Right now I don't know whether to apply for posts elsewhere in the Air Force, go for a commission or start to look outside. (I have done 2 out of the 3) All we need is some form of timescales from manning so our families can at least make plans which is the least we deserve. I know a lot of people on here have never been up to RAF Kinloss or fully understand the specialisations we had employed onboard the Nimrod but suffice to say most people expected to spend their entire careers on Nimrod at Kinloss and a lot have the best part of 20yrs or more on type.
Now you can say that we are in the military and should expect to move every 3 years so dry our eyes. This just is not the case with Nimrod at Kinloss. You were pretty much set for a full career up here if you chose that route and most people settled and have kids born and raised in the North so it’s not just a case of move and get on with it. Who is going to buy your house? What will your wife do with her career? What about the kids settled at school? Our mind set was never to move every 3 years so that’s where we differ up here.
Whilst many of the old sweats are quite happy with redundancy as they will go to immediate pension with gratuity and redundancy payment,(also not much left on their mortgages) a lot of the young guys are still in their early careers but nearing the 12 year point only to be told that that may be it. Who would have thought that after a ¼ million pounds training program each that they could just say tough luck for being at Kinloss when it all went wrong,. It’s a sad day when highly trained individuals within the RAF will face compulsory redundancy. And to rub salt into the wound, redundancy payments have changed at the crucial time.
I just hope manning get their act together and give us a timescale very soon as I fear moral which is already low will become unbearable. It has gotten to the point where people have a sniff of a possible post elsewhere and it’s all hush hush survival of the fittest. Is this really the way we are?
Me...I want to stay in the service.
Sorry to read that chap but please be reassured ...
... it's a lot worse for the vast majority of civvies, most of whom do not have anywhere near the levels of support, redundancy terms or financial safety blanket that you do.
Welcome to civvy street
CS
wot's having to sell up and move at less than a desirable rate because the other half's employers need her to move to a different office. Sometimes life isn't fair but you just have to get on with it
