Airman X - whinger or fair point ?
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Airman X - whinger or fair point ?
Airman X is top of the OOA list and is told to got to detachment A on a particular date. Having completed 4 months reserve, X's detachment is cancelled the day before he goes.
X knows he still owes em one, so asks the desk where he is due to go next. Is told he will now go to detachment B, with the standard 4 months reserve beforehand.
Accepting $hit happens, X books a holiday (yes, I know, how decadent) before his reserve period for B starts.
The Company strike back and suddenly X is placed on immediate standby for detachment C, for the next 4 calendar months. X cancels holiday as he cannot really get back in 48 hrs. Apparently detachment C is 'unlikely' so it seems X will complete the standby period and become instantly liable for detachment D.
In real terms, X hasn't actually been anywhere yet, but one goat after another ensure X cannot plan anything further than 48 hrs ahead, for a period of (potentially) up to 16 months. (including the theoretical detachment to D in the end !).
Is X just not playing the game by moaning while everyone is busy, or is it reasonable for him to hope for some time off the hook ?
All persons and detachments above are entirely fictitious.
X knows he still owes em one, so asks the desk where he is due to go next. Is told he will now go to detachment B, with the standard 4 months reserve beforehand.
Accepting $hit happens, X books a holiday (yes, I know, how decadent) before his reserve period for B starts.
The Company strike back and suddenly X is placed on immediate standby for detachment C, for the next 4 calendar months. X cancels holiday as he cannot really get back in 48 hrs. Apparently detachment C is 'unlikely' so it seems X will complete the standby period and become instantly liable for detachment D.
In real terms, X hasn't actually been anywhere yet, but one goat after another ensure X cannot plan anything further than 48 hrs ahead, for a period of (potentially) up to 16 months. (including the theoretical detachment to D in the end !).
Is X just not playing the game by moaning while everyone is busy, or is it reasonable for him to hope for some time off the hook ?
All persons and detachments above are entirely fictitious.
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He's got a fair point - either send him somewhere (which it appears he's quite happy to do) or give him a period where he can get a life. The day PMC stop treating people like prisoners as opposed to employees who, on the whole will do anything they're asked, will be the time morale in the military improves.
Maybe it's time his line manager stepped in on his behalf and did something for the bloke. Would a couple of months off the list be so hard?
See nothing's changed since I took redundancy
CM
Maybe it's time his line manager stepped in on his behalf and did something for the bloke. Would a couple of months off the list be so hard?
See nothing's changed since I took redundancy
CM
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Agree with Chili. Whilst I suspect that X is not alone, and I am sure that PMA are working with the best of intentions (no really I am); he is being severely dicked about to the detriment of his familiy life for an overly long period, even before he goes OOA. Time for his line manager to step in and make sure that he can take his leave entitlement.
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We all accept that "If you can't take a joke, you should not have joined." The Service(s) always insisted that you took insurance to cover "leave cancellation". Unfortunatley, Advantage Travel Club, who gave good leave cover, no longer do (since Sept 11). It is one thing having your leave "f***ed up, and another carrying the can for all the expenses. MOD should at least play fair with regards to out of pocket expenses, or you can plan no life at all.
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Chilli: It's PMA now, they're an Agency and have fluffy things like a Director I believe. I also believe they recently got some laurel leaves for being Investors in People, which has got to be worth a trip to Trading Standards one day 
X is happy to go OOA and knows it's his time to go and his integrity won't let him pull a sicky as some do.
As for line managers, they have tried and PMA have refused X's request for a slight deferment, so he has cancelled his hols. The Advantage Travel Insurance is still good for cover provided X gets a letter from his CO.
As Chilli says, I think the sooner PMA lose the cynicism and stop thinking people will try and get out of dets the better. You're not the first to use the word 'prisoner' !
It's a pity, cause X is a bloke who does take the job and his commitments seriously, but I know he's reconsidering his future with a company managed with such apparent disregard for it's employees.
X is happy to go OOA and knows it's his time to go and his integrity won't let him pull a sicky as some do.
As for line managers, they have tried and PMA have refused X's request for a slight deferment, so he has cancelled his hols. The Advantage Travel Insurance is still good for cover provided X gets a letter from his CO.
As Chilli says, I think the sooner PMA lose the cynicism and stop thinking people will try and get out of dets the better. You're not the first to use the word 'prisoner' !
It's a pity, cause X is a bloke who does take the job and his commitments seriously, but I know he's reconsidering his future with a company managed with such apparent disregard for it's employees.
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Get CO involved with the letter to insurance. BUT, provide full point brief of situation and why it gets this far. Also include options for resolution, like get said airman OOA when he wants - he is after all willing and has his excrement in 1 pile ready to go.
A CO worth some salt should kick up overr this one & get his OCA involved. Just provide him with the bullets and relatively easy solution.......
Your big guns are wasted if you never use em.
A CO worth some salt should kick up overr this one & get his OCA involved. Just provide him with the bullets and relatively easy solution.......
Your big guns are wasted if you never use em.
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The insurance is all sorted, except for the cost of it and a £40 excess, so all in all, X is only about £100 out of pocket.
As for the 'big guns', they didn't fire any bullets. OCA et al were involved initially when X wrote to his Sqn CO, but the letter went up his Wing, across to Admin Wing, where it descended into the Chf Clks in-tray.
A human voice at PMA is yet to be heard...
Admin Footsoldier: "this is silly cos X is not going anywhere"
As for the 'big guns', they didn't fire any bullets. OCA et al were involved initially when X wrote to his Sqn CO, but the letter went up his Wing, across to Admin Wing, where it descended into the Chf Clks in-tray.
A human voice at PMA is yet to be heard...
Admin Footsoldier: "this is silly cos X is not going anywhere"
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Goes up to Stn Cdr, Stn Cdr comes DOWN on OCA.
Got your AFI coming up? AOCs interview IAW QR something or other? Scares the hell out of the Admin staff.
Got your AFI coming up? AOCs interview IAW QR something or other? Scares the hell out of the Admin staff.
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Naw, our bloke's just been around recently and besides, it's not the adminners here, it's the chisellers at Innsworth.
There's nothing he can do in all honesty, but as I said earlier, it's certainly focused his mind on finding another employer. Unless a little humanity is intorduced and damn fast, this company will go bankrupt in the near future anyway...and I don't mean just financially.
There's nothing he can do in all honesty, but as I said earlier, it's certainly focused his mind on finding another employer. Unless a little humanity is intorduced and damn fast, this company will go bankrupt in the near future anyway...and I don't mean just financially.
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At least when the company goes bankrupt they wont be able to send us anywhere else...... Maybe that travel insurance is more important than I first thought, what if Auntie Betty can't afford to bring us home when those other "administrators" come to work.... 
