Not you personally, everyone involved.
No worries.
I have to hold my hand up here and state that back in 2009 I initiated a âService Complaintâ against two high ranking officers in the Corps (one RAFR & one RAFVRT). This was back when us RAFVR(T) officers had the same privileges as regular officers as regard to redress. HQAC and the then 2ic at HQAC ignored as much as possible my complaint and delayed and procrastinated until there was a change of commandant! I pushed the system until they found out that the HQAC redress system was redundant and JSPâs were appropriate! Then after a year and a half I eventually got an apology from the then commandant AC Barbara Cooper which basically said âsorryâ and that was that! I had lost command of my squadron, and my projects and infrastructure at my unit and the national project I ran for the Corps were decimated⌠The perpetrators carried on as normal!!
So I escalated my complaint to the next level, OC 22 Group, AVM Mike Lloyd who I had a meeting with and he was quite dismissive of the whole issue and thought the matter had been dealt with badly but that was that!
That was yet another poor response to my complaint and another attempt to wear me down to the point I would give up⌠to hell with that!
I escalated the complaint above 22 Group⌠then things got interesting and people started listening as we had gotten âoutsideâ the HQAC âbubbleâ!
A formal investigation was started, and myself and some of my friends, colleagues, and other witnesses were interviewed. I had recordings of the bullying and a paper trail that was so detailed that it could not be ignored. The two officers that were the subjects of my complaints were interviewed, the RAFR officer went as far as to complain about being subject to interview and tried to get out of it⌠he lost!
I was allocated a regular RAF officer as an âassisting officerâ and he was fantastic. Eventually after another 18 months we ended up at RAF Halton and a formal Oral Hearing⌠only the second one of itâs type and the first involving a complaint fro an RAFV(T) officer. The two officers who were the subject of my complaint were present, and all there parties (myself included) were questioned and cross examined in an all day session.
After another 3-4 months the verdict was returned⌠I WAS bullied by my Wing Commander and he was found guilty of said offence⌠My former Regional Commandant was charged with being âvindictiveâ⌠I received a formal apology from the RAF (not the ATC) but unfortunately as I had not stipulated what retribution I would seek if they were found to be in the wrong it was left up to HQAC to consider âadministrative actionââŚ
So, as the then current commandant was (and still is) AC Dawn McCafferty, who has a well publicized âzero toleranceâ policy on bullying did⌠NOTHING!
I complained and was told âas it did not happen on my watchââŚ
The Wing Commander is still in post, the ex-Regional Commandant has retired (and hopefully he stays retired).
all this took seven (7) years to come to fruition, I won the battle but lost the war⌠I retired from the Corps in December 2016 after 42 years in the Corps, 7 years as a cadet (I was a CWO until I was 22) and 33 years commissioned 26 years as a sqn commander of two units).
So, I can say with first hand knowledge that my case (and a few others) was instrumental in the death of the RAFVR(T) status of commissioned officers in the Corps. The removal of your right of redress and complaint and the ability of the Corps to rid themselves of your service at willâŚ
Sorry!
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if the death of the VRT means it doesnât take 7 years to get a complaint heard this adds one positive to the changeâŚ
that is quite and experience to have been through
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In some ways I think we are in a better position now for that sort of thing if you want to take it all the way. Escalate to CRAFAC. No adequate response in a reasonable timeframe and you send MOD a pre-action judicial review letter and you can get the High Court to look at whether the response was reasonable. If it wasnât in accordance with published policies (which themselves are horrendously written) they are in trouble. Yes, there will be a financial risk but they need to realise the consequences of further civilianising the organisation.
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I think with the new paperwork they had us all sign. It give the Corp the right to say by by if you make waves I have found out in past week talking to other members of the Corp rules for some donât apply to other. If your in the right group you get a leg up. Itâs a boys club. And for some. Safeguarding rules and things to protect everyone are a not part of what they donât have to work to. I just hope that someone some where. Show the press and the public what really happens
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I will post a link to the âNote of Actionâ that was the outcome of my case⌠It highlights the ineptitude of HQAC and the active policy of ignoring complaints in the hope that they would just âgo awayâ⌠The issue here is that HQAC policy has changed in that the JSPâs no longer apply to adult volunteers and that HQAC can dispose of your services at a whim. The possibility of an adult volunteer taking out a civil claim against HQAC is slim as the full financial backing of the tax payer is on HQACâs side whereas the lowly ex-adult volunteer is left to fend (and fund) the case out of their own pocket⌠again HQAC has the upper hand. What my case (and one other similar one that I am aware of) did was take the handling of the case out of the hands of HQAC and into the parent service. Once that happened I could see that a much more professional approach was taken and I was overjoyed when I knew the case was being dealt with correctly⌠The outcome of âguilty of bullyingâ by my then OC Wing was correct but I fear he did it out of fear of our then Regional Commandant who was know to be, and demonstrated on many occasions a law unto himself⌠if you disagreed with him, or challenged him in any way woe betide you and your career in the Corps. He disposed of many personnel in the Region just to be the ânew brush sweeps cleanâ and to exercise (and demonstrate) his authorityâŚ
Anyhow, the whole positive result of my service complaint fell apart when the Commandant (Dawn McCafferty) would not implement her well publicized policy of âzero toleranceâ to bullying⌠both my WgCo and the Ex-Regional Commandant (who went on to command 2 FTS) got away with âadministrative actionâ which was never disclosed to myself as to what that meant or implied⌠I suspect it went along these lines⌠ânext time, donât get caughtâ !!!
I was told directly by the âcurrentâ Regional Commandant (North) that he was part of a think tank in the RAF that was tasked with (as part of itâs remit) to determine what issues could adversely effect the image of the RAF⌠one of which was the Air Cadets!!! Hence one of the reasons the RAFVR(T) connection was dissolvedâŚ
He also let slip that one of the major protagonists in my case was our then WEXO who initiated all the crap that befell me⌠He was never mentioned in the investigation, but was actually the assisting officer for my WgCo who was found guilty of bullying⌠how mad was that, and how corrupt was the Corps hierarchy who knew that all along!
So, it is almost 3 years since I retired from the Corps. I miss the idea of the ATC but none of the administrative burden, bureaucracy, and general stupidity that I still see happens on a daily basis. There are some fantastic people (staff & cadets) in the Corps but I see that a lot of the âEsprit de Corpsâ that used to exist is gone. The general âlets see how we can do thisâ attitude has been replaced by a âhow the hell can we do thisâ approach. It would appear that HQAC still has a combative attitude toward the rest of the Corps and the âIvory Towerâ approach to the people at the coal face is quite often condescendingâŚ
Last year I went to the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington, on the 5th of September and quite by chance they were celebrating Allied Air Forces Day at the Museum. There was a contingent of Cadets there and the Commandant AC Dawn McCafferty was present⌠I happened to walk into one of the hangers and was standing not 10 meters from her and saw that she was taking âselfiesâ of herself⌠I burst out laughing when a visitor turned to her friend and said âwow, she loves herselfâ⌠If this was for a blog or Facebook post for the Air Cadets, there was no one else around or in the shot⌠I walked away in disgust!
OK, standby for the âNote of Actionâ link later⌠it makes interesting reading!
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Yes, but now your complaint has âzeroâ clout!!!
based on the indication that whatever clout the VRT offered it took 7 years - i would say it is a moot point
I would agree! The system is still biased in favor of âlets do nothingâ or â get rid of the victimââŚ
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Working through the public sector with complaints and litigation is like wading through suprglue, posterior covering lies and distortion at every level.
âThe only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.â
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A stunning read comms_uk.
Not least because it almost matches word for word the experiences I am aware of in the bullying and mistreatment of CivCom members - even down to Dawn McCaffertyâs shallow two-faceness, Barbara Cooperâs incompetence and Mike Lloydâs lack of attention to his commitments and promises.
For all the reasons you suggest, any positive reflection on the organisation is down to hared-working staff and volunteers at particular squadrons who inspire cadets despite the involvement of HQAC.
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Why are people so surprised when this topic comes up? We know that there is and wouldnât be an expedient resolution to any form of official complaint and it would get lost in the fog of bureaucracy.
The problems with bullying or anything that initiates a complaint are
- they take longer than they should to sort
- an apology or similar resolution is never enough
- bullying has become far too broad and subjective, such that a zero tolerance policy unless it is written in stone and applied the same in every single case regardless is pointless.
- if you are the accused, then even if you are exonerated you are stigmatised forever
- those who make the complaint can have a similar stigma attached to them and potentially as someone you feel that you have to walk like youâre walking on eggshells around.
I met a bloke a couple of months ago who Iâd done a few camps with, who was accused of bullying, they suspended him, he hung around and when it was found that the cadets had lied he was told he could come back and he did with his letter of resignation and MOD90 in an envelope and uniform in bag which he left on the COs desk. He said heâd heard all sorts of rubbish about why he was suspended and knew if he came back it would still be there. This was 8 years ago, now heâs a Scout leader and enjoying himself, I met him escorting a group of Cubs doing a âmap readingâ exercise around the roads of the town. He said he went to the Scouts after about 18 months when his local group was touting for helpers. He said they snapped him up as he has a BELA and Archery ticket and made him feel very welcome. He said heâs bumped into staff from his old squadron at a couple of Remembrance Parades they completely blank him, which suits him down to the ground.
If I felt I was being bullied by people in the ATC and it made me feel crap, Iâd go sad way to end over 40 years, but itâs not worth the aggro, I wouldnât lose pay or pension and gain personal time. There is little they could do to affect my real life. The example of 7 years is a nonsense, more than 2-3 months and it loses any immediacy and effect.
Being a bit tubby, wear glasses and churchgoer as a child, I came in for all the standard name calling and general picking on. Had that been now and not the 1960s/70s I imagine I would have had a seat in the school pastoral office with my name on. But it was in the 1960s/70s and despite all the hippie overtones of the day, it was basically ignore them and get on with it.
This has been for me, as I am sure it will be for others in the future, a great eye opener to know that youâre not alone in this organisation if you have been bullied and further mistreated.
It can be a very dark place when you are all caught up in a complaint of bullying. I know for me personally, this thread has helped me to try and better cope with the stresses and strains such an ordeal creates as I now know that the issue is wide spread across the corps.
Many people will read through this thread in the future and find it helpful, but what can we do to try and change things in the future?
Itâs an obvious statement that theirs a disconnect between many of the volunteer staff vs permanent/HQAC but is there not any hope to try and change this problem when new leadership comes around?
I just find it difficult sitting here reading through everyoneâs stories and experiences, thinking of mine and then realising that this will only continue in the future.
What can we do� Or is all hope lost with this organisation?
Your 100% right. As for can it be fixed I think we all know it canât an less big changes For me I. Carried on going and hiding the affects because stupidly I believe in what I was doing and to fight on for the cadets benefit. I think we need to point out here I for one are not talking about. Bullying from or to a cadet but. Officers and SNCO. Bullying there own Iâm not going to say to much of what I had to put up with but for one incident I had a flt LT in front of cadets on a public event Decide To make reference to and judgement Of my choice of sexual partner . Canât tell me thatâs ok by any stretch of the imagination. Someone said to me the other day. Does the Dawn care nope sheâs. Made a name for her self and is on her way out.
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For me I donât think much will changeâŚ
We have staff who have made a career out of bullying people the SENIOR staff know this but will not act!!
Until we get senior staff in place who will hold people truly to account as it may upset their numbers or look bad then we cannot move forward.
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⌠and that is all we can hope for. But it is a thin hope on so many fronts.
Nostalgia always has a tendency to blur problems that may have been similar - or perhaps less apparent. But I do think that one area which has contributed greatly to the general attitudes and behaviour which affects this and other subjects in the corps is the gradual erosion of the balance between civilian and uniform pillars.
I know there will be countless examples of useless CivComs that may be quoted. But the increase in ex-uniforms being appointed (not elected) into civilian roles at Wing, Region and to some extent HQAC has served only to reduce the levels of welfare and sanity checks. Instead of the organisation benefiting from the skills and understanding that many service personnel do not have outside of a supportive framework, then the trained requirement to respect and defer to rank creates closed circles where people tend to believe their own BS and then it becomes a mission to protect the organisation at all costs against any problem. Policies are written for appearance and then behind closed doors there is a pervading suppression. In the case of bullying, situations are handled so as to promote a sense of safety in uniform - possibly because those investigating might recognise their own traits in the accused and do not want to challenge the status quo or be seen to not be supporting the image of the organisation rather than actively implement its published values.
Auntie Dawn has more energy than Barbara Cooper, but even she realised long ago that the principle to apply is 'keep the ship floating as smoothly as possible, get the gong and then hang on because it wont be your problem after a few years. That is largely why situations quoted here taken many years to resolve.
Some of the contributions defy all logic given that this is supposed to be an activity for enjoyment.
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Does this erosion amount to indiscreet bullying by those in uniform against those who are not even members of the Corps.
Charity Law is very clear about who can act as a Trustee, but the ACO seems to want to use individuals who are specifically excluded by the constitution, whilst banning individuals with suitable Charity experience.
And it seems it is happy to overlook the importance of community input, which independent Trustees can bring.
I mention this against the background of the fervoured efforts on the part of the ACMB to get Civcoms to adopt a Constitution which they are unwilling to prove to be legally sound - that to me looks like yet more bullying under the pretext of being compliant with the Law.
If, for a moment, you could try and not bring every thread back to you that would be nice.
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