Put it right, Dave! #putitrightdave
In 2010, the Ministry of defence announced 17,000 Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force redundancies. After years of service, a FEW DOZEN men and women WERE Sacked MONTHS, WEEKS AND IN SOME CASES, JUST DAYS FROM RECEIVING A PENSION.
WE DON'T THINK THIS IS A FAIR WAY TO TREAT OUR MILITARY SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN.
Our ARMED FORCES Rely on principles of commitment, faith, hONOUR AND TRUST. CIVILIANS HAVE TRADES UNIONS AND REPRESENTATIVES - SERVICE PERSONNEL turn to PARLIAMENT TO PROTECT THEIR INTERESTS.
For reasons which have never become quite clear, a small group of officers, the very ones David Cameron insisted in april 2016 he would "do his duty by" when launching the official website for the Armed Forces Covenant, were failed.
HONOURING THOSE PEOPLE WHO AGREE TO SERVE US (AND IF NEED BE, SURRENDER THEIR LIVES) SHOULD BE OF UPMOST IMPORTANCE.
Has tHE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE AND PARLIAMENT BETRAYED THAT TRUST?
Is it *just* serviceman And woman affected?
No.
This injustiCe bites deep. military families are uniquely disadvantaged. A partner (usually a wife) gives up meaningful career advancement (and pension) to support her husband's career, his endless absences and home moves.
This affected servicemen and women, husbands and wives, and children.
And let's not forget. Our men and women do more than just fight wars with bullets.
Ebola was as vicious as any an enemy we have to face.
And our men and women fight those who would import illegal drugs.
The Mail on Sunday has covered the issue, reflecting the sense of outrage that the public feels. Click on Jeff's name (below) to read Martin's story.
Why is it unfair? Because a military career means committing completely, and if need be, revolvIng and sacrificIng one's liFe in the name of our country and our way of lIfe.
Servicemen and women are seperated from families for monthS at a time, are excluded from aspects of employment and human rights legislation protection that we take for granted. Many are ravaged by physical and emotional demands that inflict the worse A profession may deliver.
Acting without regard to the Armed Forces Covenant, hiding behind an appalling internal appeals and complaints process, a small number of men and women were pushed off a cliff-edge without a financial parachute. One which they were contracted to, and reasonably expected to receivE.
By secretly changing the rules to serve its own interests, the Ministry of Defence wrote the syllabus, decided who would pass and who would fail, marked its own homework and then judged its own appeals process.
And that's just plain wrong.
Servicemen and women rELY ON THE PENSION, THEY PLAN FOR IT, THEY BUILD THEIR LIVES AROUND IT, AND SO DO THEIR FAMILIES. WHEN THINGS GET BAD, THE CONVERSATION AT HOME USUALLY REVOLVES AROUND ‘THE PENSION’; IT’S THE ONE THING HELD ON TO, THE ONLY GLIMMER OF HOPE.
No one is saying that servicemen and women didn't know they were taking on the harshest of professions, let alone taking into account the impact on loved ones. But commitment is a two way street.
We are CALLING ON YOU TO RECOGNISE YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE WELFARE OF OUR SERVICEMEN AND MILITARY VETERANS BY WRITING TO @MarkLancasterMK, THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE AND MINISTER FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL AND VETERANS.
What are our campaign objectives?
- To restore by retrospectively awarding an immediate tapered pension for those affected by the rule change.
- To identify anyone in dire need who may be helped if a taper was rolled back from the four year point.
Why is it important?
- To show that Parliament can act swiftly in a non-partisan basis to help servicemen and women.
- To demonstrate to our Armed Forces that when a wrong has been identified, it will be corrected.
- To align the government (genuinely) with the spirit and intent of the Armed Forces Covenant.
Sign the petition, share this presentation, and use the hashtag #putitrightdave.
Follow @justice4forces.
Send it to your MP!
For more information, contact me, Al Rush - info@alrush.biz.
Thank you for reading, thank you for sharing!
Bye bye.. Time to go!
These images were made available for reuse under the OGL (Open Government License).