DEFENCE BULLYING REPORT - RAF Worst of the Three Services
A recent report by the Equal Opportunities Audit Team has found that
allegations of "a culture of widespread bullying and brutality" within
the British Forces are, in the most part, unfounded. The audit team,
which travelled to every Defence establishment across the UK and
abroad and interviewed staff from all three services, found
surprisingly few cases of unfair treatment and bullying within the
Army and Navy.
When it came to the Airforce, however, the report told a different
story. Complaints to the EOAT came from a total of 13,555 RAF members,
compared with three from Navy and just one from Army.
While this statistic is alarming in its own right, it becomes horrific
when one considers that each complaint represents a sad story of
abuse, mistreatment and neglect. As one senior RAF officer put it,
"Each story is, in itself, a sad indictment on the RAF. When taken as
a whole, however, they demonstrate a reprehensible lack of regard for
personnel on the part of RAF managers at all levels."
One young pilot told of having to spend two nights in tented
accommodation, despite the fact that there was an empty five-star
hotel just 1km away.
Another said that he had been forced to endure a gruelling fitness
test every year since he joined in 1997.
One airwoman alleged that she had been overlooked for promotion on
numerous occasions, simply because she was fat, lazy and stupid.
An aircraftman stated he had been refused permission to wear civilian
attire to work, despite the fact that his uniform clashed with his eye
colour.
Another had been forced to wear uncomfortable safety boots for periods
of up to eight hours straight.
An RAF clerk could not understand why she had been sent to work in a
Joint military headquarters, ?I have been forced to work for horrid
Army people who just don?t understand what the military is all about.
I feel the RAF has victimised me by forcing me to do this?I will be
seeking compensation?
Shockingly, RAF Senior Ranks are also subject to mistreatment. One
SNCO Flight Sergeant stated, "I was deeply upset when I was addressed
as Flight Sergeant by an officer. He knew my name was Robert. It was
just horrible. I have never been more humiliated in my life.? In
response a senior RAF officer stated, ?the officer in question has
been moved on?.
A number of personnel complained of having to attend courses that were
not relevant to their jobs, such as rigorous ground combat courses and
drawn-out lectures on occupational health and safety. To add insult to
injury, a young corporal was even ordered to pack up chairs in the
classroom after one such course.
The huge backlash against treatment of Air Force personnel should
provide senior officers with a vital clue with regard to the massive
retention problems experienced by the RAF in recent times. Over the
past two years, Defence has spent some 19.8 million looking into the
issue.
Not all of the Air Force's hierarchy, however, were upset by the
revelations. Said outgoing Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal
Sir Errol Flynn, KCB CBE DSO ADC BSc(Eng) FRAeS RAF, "I'm delighted
with the result. I am very happy that our retention problems are due,
in the most part at least, to something as harmless as bullying. I
thought everyone was leaving because of me."
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