Keep your eyes peeled for Channel 4 news at 19:00 tonight. the site gets a mention. something tells me Tom Reah will have more then 900 after this week
As for continued S TYPE contracts well I think more Brown and smelly will be hitting the Hoon, Caplin and lets not forget Imgrams fan...in the not to distant future. get your mate to contact Tom Reah asap
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Channel 4 news at 19:00 tonight
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http://www.channel4.com/news/2004/08/we ... _army.html
Bloody good program last night
Dishonourable discharge
Exclusive
Published: 09-Aug-2004
By: Julian Rush and Girish Juneja
More than eight hundred former and serving soldiers are preparing to take the Ministry of Defence to court - claiming they've been bullied and hoodwinked into leaving the Army.
A procedure which allows the MOD to sack a soldier half way through a 22 year contract has caused consternation in the ranks.
Channel Four News has seen evidence that the Ministry of Defence knew the procedure was open to legal challenge under European law.
The MOD insist no-one has been discharged under this controversial regulation since 2002.
But some soldiers believe that they are being pushed out, or forced to resign as their regiments come under pressure to keep costs down.
Now British soldiers feel under threat - not from an enemy but from their own chain of command.
The problem is “Manning Control”, a procedure that allows the Army to assess soldiers after 12 years and sack them if it thinks they aren't suitable to be employed for a full career of 22 years.
Four years ago the first signs emerged it was being abused.
A Para, Corporal Biddiss, claims he was selected for Manning Control to cover up the mistakes of a superior officer. But he was not an unsuitable soldier - he'd just qualified for SAS selection.
He refused to go and he claims the Army went on victimise him further because he stood up for his rights.
The case has lit a fuse in the Army - figuring large on web sites for former soldiers. Over 800 past and serving soldiers have contacted Tom Reah with allegations of bullying around Manning Control. The case will start once the Army finally rules on Corporal Biddiss' official complaint - lodged 4 years ago now.
“If they were civilian employees no civilian employer would stand any chance of terminating their contracts, none at all. But the MOD seems to think differently”
Tom Reah, solicitor
Channel 4 News has discovered that ministers have known for some time that Manning Control is legally questionable. It turns out that European legislation gives soldiers rights to challenge manning control on the grounds of unfair dismissal - and we've seen evidence that civil servants have been trying to persuade ministers to change the law to remove those rights before anyone found out they existed.
We've seen an internal MOD briefing document, written in May 2002, that admits:
"...there is a strong likelihood of an increase in legal challenges against the Armed Forces' employment policies such as administrative discharge through Manning Controls..."
Its proposal to change the law without publicity:
"...would" it says "have the advantage of not drawing attention to the fact that the Unfair Dismissal provisions of the Employment Rights Act were not being activated..."
Mandarin-speak for a right lost before it was ever used.
Soldiers' suspicions their dismissals were unfair have been fuelled by cases where the Army first sacked them, then called them back to do the same job on a short-term contract.
Angela Emms was a lance corporal: an experienced logistics controller. Injuries from a car accident made physical work difficult, but hers was a desk job. She too is ready to go to court, alleging she was bullied into accepting Manning Control:
“He said I am giving you an order. I am giving you a direct order. You will sign this form and you will sign it today. I had no choice. Short of disobeying an order I don't know what would have happened"
"An hour or so later I was called back by the families officer and taken into this office. There was just the two of us and basically I was coerced into signing this thing, he just said I am giving you an order, I am giving you a direct order. If you don't obey my orders some kind of disciplinary action will be taken"
"A year after I had been Manning Controlled I was called up as a mobilized reservist and went to Bosnia for 18 months doing the same job. Why were they calling up this so called undeserving soldier?"
Since the Biddiss case attracted attention, ministers seem to have repeatedly told Parliament Manning Control has stopped. We've exclusive evidence it continued, and it's happening now:
June 2003 - Lewis Moonie: "...there are no plans to conduct any Manning Control Point reviews in the next 12 months"
Yet, 3 weeks later, this was sent to 3 Para, a list of soldiers approaching their Manning Control review point was sent to 3 Para.
January this year - Ivor Caplin: "There are currently no plans to conduct any Manning Control Point reviews in the next 15-18 months"
and a month later - Adam Ingram: "...no further reviews are currently planned
Yet, just last month, Manning Control figured in the Army's daily orders: we can exclusively reveal that soldiers were reminded to "acquaint themselves" with the instructions on the topic.
The MOD now admits that lists are still routinely being sent to regiments. Ministers' Parliamentary answers, though, say no-one's been sacked under Manning Control regulations since 2002.
So what's going on - how are these lists used?
Well, soldiers tell us is they're being "persuaded" to leave voluntarily instead or they're sacked under a different regulation - in order, they believe, to protect ministers from the charge of misleading Parliament.
Soldiers believe the Army takes advantage of the stigma they feel about Manning Control: dismissal tarnishes their reputation, so few are willing to talk about it.
But one serving soldier we've spoken to who faces dismissal was prepared to speak:
“I think the army is engineering a system to save on money - cost cutting, to engineer a system where it leaves a solder no choice but to actually jump before he is pushed. And I feel that pressure - that I might have to jump before I am pushed to save myself or to save my own career and I feel there’s other solders in exactly the same position doing the same thing”
“If I am to volunteer now then the army wins hands down. The army gets away with not paying me a pension the army gets away with not fulfilling its contract to look after its troops”
Soldier who requested to remain anonymous
The MOD denies manning control has ever been used to cut costs by saving on pensions and it says a review of over 200 cases has shown the procedures were all followed correctly.
But at a time when the Army insists it's over-stretched it has, in recent months, been forced by successful recruitment to cut numbers to conform to Treasury funding limits.
And while manning control remains shrouded in secrecy, the widely-held suspicion will remain that it's all to do with money, and nothing to do with personnel management.
MoD Statement
“Manning Control Points are a valuable tool for managing the structure of the Army. Soldiers are notified of its use before they join the Army”
“The MOD would like to stress that Commanding Officers are not under any pressure to conduct Manning Control Point reviews”
“Ministers have not misled parliament. It has always been clear that the use of Manning Control Point procedures has not been suspended but no soldiers have been discharged under these procedures since 2003”
INTERNET LINKS
Ex-Para
Site for former members of the Parachute Regiment detailing their issues with Manning Control
Submitted by Channel 4 News
Ministry of Defence
Submitted by Channel 4 News
AND THIS
http://www.dream-tool.com/tools/message ... +468+index
Bloody good program last night
Dishonourable discharge
Exclusive
Published: 09-Aug-2004
By: Julian Rush and Girish Juneja
More than eight hundred former and serving soldiers are preparing to take the Ministry of Defence to court - claiming they've been bullied and hoodwinked into leaving the Army.
A procedure which allows the MOD to sack a soldier half way through a 22 year contract has caused consternation in the ranks.
Channel Four News has seen evidence that the Ministry of Defence knew the procedure was open to legal challenge under European law.
The MOD insist no-one has been discharged under this controversial regulation since 2002.
But some soldiers believe that they are being pushed out, or forced to resign as their regiments come under pressure to keep costs down.
Now British soldiers feel under threat - not from an enemy but from their own chain of command.
The problem is “Manning Control”, a procedure that allows the Army to assess soldiers after 12 years and sack them if it thinks they aren't suitable to be employed for a full career of 22 years.
Four years ago the first signs emerged it was being abused.
A Para, Corporal Biddiss, claims he was selected for Manning Control to cover up the mistakes of a superior officer. But he was not an unsuitable soldier - he'd just qualified for SAS selection.
He refused to go and he claims the Army went on victimise him further because he stood up for his rights.
The case has lit a fuse in the Army - figuring large on web sites for former soldiers. Over 800 past and serving soldiers have contacted Tom Reah with allegations of bullying around Manning Control. The case will start once the Army finally rules on Corporal Biddiss' official complaint - lodged 4 years ago now.
“If they were civilian employees no civilian employer would stand any chance of terminating their contracts, none at all. But the MOD seems to think differently”
Tom Reah, solicitor
Channel 4 News has discovered that ministers have known for some time that Manning Control is legally questionable. It turns out that European legislation gives soldiers rights to challenge manning control on the grounds of unfair dismissal - and we've seen evidence that civil servants have been trying to persuade ministers to change the law to remove those rights before anyone found out they existed.
We've seen an internal MOD briefing document, written in May 2002, that admits:
"...there is a strong likelihood of an increase in legal challenges against the Armed Forces' employment policies such as administrative discharge through Manning Controls..."
Its proposal to change the law without publicity:
"...would" it says "have the advantage of not drawing attention to the fact that the Unfair Dismissal provisions of the Employment Rights Act were not being activated..."
Mandarin-speak for a right lost before it was ever used.
Soldiers' suspicions their dismissals were unfair have been fuelled by cases where the Army first sacked them, then called them back to do the same job on a short-term contract.
Angela Emms was a lance corporal: an experienced logistics controller. Injuries from a car accident made physical work difficult, but hers was a desk job. She too is ready to go to court, alleging she was bullied into accepting Manning Control:
“He said I am giving you an order. I am giving you a direct order. You will sign this form and you will sign it today. I had no choice. Short of disobeying an order I don't know what would have happened"
"An hour or so later I was called back by the families officer and taken into this office. There was just the two of us and basically I was coerced into signing this thing, he just said I am giving you an order, I am giving you a direct order. If you don't obey my orders some kind of disciplinary action will be taken"
"A year after I had been Manning Controlled I was called up as a mobilized reservist and went to Bosnia for 18 months doing the same job. Why were they calling up this so called undeserving soldier?"
Since the Biddiss case attracted attention, ministers seem to have repeatedly told Parliament Manning Control has stopped. We've exclusive evidence it continued, and it's happening now:
June 2003 - Lewis Moonie: "...there are no plans to conduct any Manning Control Point reviews in the next 12 months"
Yet, 3 weeks later, this was sent to 3 Para, a list of soldiers approaching their Manning Control review point was sent to 3 Para.
January this year - Ivor Caplin: "There are currently no plans to conduct any Manning Control Point reviews in the next 15-18 months"
and a month later - Adam Ingram: "...no further reviews are currently planned
Yet, just last month, Manning Control figured in the Army's daily orders: we can exclusively reveal that soldiers were reminded to "acquaint themselves" with the instructions on the topic.
The MOD now admits that lists are still routinely being sent to regiments. Ministers' Parliamentary answers, though, say no-one's been sacked under Manning Control regulations since 2002.
So what's going on - how are these lists used?
Well, soldiers tell us is they're being "persuaded" to leave voluntarily instead or they're sacked under a different regulation - in order, they believe, to protect ministers from the charge of misleading Parliament.
Soldiers believe the Army takes advantage of the stigma they feel about Manning Control: dismissal tarnishes their reputation, so few are willing to talk about it.
But one serving soldier we've spoken to who faces dismissal was prepared to speak:
“I think the army is engineering a system to save on money - cost cutting, to engineer a system where it leaves a solder no choice but to actually jump before he is pushed. And I feel that pressure - that I might have to jump before I am pushed to save myself or to save my own career and I feel there’s other solders in exactly the same position doing the same thing”
“If I am to volunteer now then the army wins hands down. The army gets away with not paying me a pension the army gets away with not fulfilling its contract to look after its troops”
Soldier who requested to remain anonymous
The MOD denies manning control has ever been used to cut costs by saving on pensions and it says a review of over 200 cases has shown the procedures were all followed correctly.
But at a time when the Army insists it's over-stretched it has, in recent months, been forced by successful recruitment to cut numbers to conform to Treasury funding limits.
And while manning control remains shrouded in secrecy, the widely-held suspicion will remain that it's all to do with money, and nothing to do with personnel management.
MoD Statement
“Manning Control Points are a valuable tool for managing the structure of the Army. Soldiers are notified of its use before they join the Army”
“The MOD would like to stress that Commanding Officers are not under any pressure to conduct Manning Control Point reviews”
“Ministers have not misled parliament. It has always been clear that the use of Manning Control Point procedures has not been suspended but no soldiers have been discharged under these procedures since 2003”
INTERNET LINKS
Ex-Para
Site for former members of the Parachute Regiment detailing their issues with Manning Control
Submitted by Channel 4 News
Ministry of Defence
Submitted by Channel 4 News
AND THIS
http://www.dream-tool.com/tools/message ... +468+index
