BAFF logo British Armed Forces Federation - Representing the Professionals

    Independent professional staff association for HM Forces:   tri-service, all ranks, regulars + reserves

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Quotes about BAFF, and the principle of independent representation for armed forces personnel

1978 - House of Lords Defence Debate

Lord Winterbottom (Labour, ex-Under Secretary of State for the Navy and Under Secretary of State for the Air Force, replying for the Government to the debate):

Although all of us view with horror the possibility of an Armed Forces trade union, nevertheless there is an armed forces federation in Germany. Certain intelligent officers who are serving beside German units regard this with some interest. I am not arguing a case one way or the other; I am just drawing your Lordships' attention to the fact that this body exists, and some young soldiers are looking at it.

1993 - House of Commons Debate - Armed Forces (Discipline)

Dr John Reid (Labour, Motherwell, later Armed Forces Minister and Secretary of State for Defence):

The Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Bill, which the House considered last week, will extend many welcome employment rights to service personnel. But it remains Labour's view that the interests and rights of those who volunteer to join the armed forces would be better served if they were allowed formal rights of representation through some form of staff federation. Let me make it clear, lest we be accused of demanding a trade union for the Army, that we have never asked for a trade union for the Army. We have asked, however, for some form of staff federation along the lines allowed, tolerated and, indeed, welcomed for the police—the Police Federation. It would benefit not only members of the armed forces but members of the hierarchy who sometimes have no idea what squaddies think. No one is suggesting a formal trade union structure. No one is suggesting that they should have the right to take formal industrial action or to strike, but a body similar to the Police Federation would offer a number of benefits to not only squaddies but the hierarchy.

1994 - House of Lords Defence Debate

Lord Williams of Elvel (Lab): Under those circumstances, there is no confidence— no confidence at all—that the position of servicemen and women will be properly protected under these arrangements, and I believe that the Government must take serious note of that. Indeed, there is so little confidence that, like it or not—and I certainly do not like it—there is already growing talk of the need for an Armed Forces Federation, analogous to the Police Federation, to represent properly the views of service personnel. Most other NATO countries have something like that, the argument goes, so why shouldn't we? The plain truth is that Ministers have lost the trust of the very people whose trust is fundamental to the success of any defence effort.

1995 - 'The Bett Review' - official report to the Secretary of State for Defence

Representation

7.36 We have not been able to ignore a growing strength of feeling, apparent on our visits and in the responses to our survey, that the time may be approaching when some form of representation outside the chain of command may be required (in our survey, admittedly taken at a time of some concern over the future), 66% of Servicemen agreed, either strongly or slightly, with a statement that ‘the Services would benefit from [such] an organisation’. We distinguish between two issues here: the investigation and redress of individual grievances; and the collective representation of issues relevant to members of the Forces as a whole. We have therefore examined the practices of other Armed Forces, and have concluded that it is possible for a wide variety of forms of representation to operate usefully, and in harmony with the chain of command. That said, we have also found some representative structures which are largely ineffective or enjoy little support.

7.37 We are conscious, therefore, of the disadvantages as well as strengths inherent in an ‘Armed Forces Federation’ not unlike the Police Federation – though we stress that there are several other forms of representative structure which might be considered. The opinions we have encountered do not amount to an overwhelming call to change present arrangements, and we therefore make no recommendations on the subject of collective representation. It must be for Servicemen themselves, if they so desire, to argue the case for an organisation to represent their collective concerns and to discuss what the role of such an organisation might be, and how it might function. This is an issue which should be freely debated within the services. However we do note that primary legislation would be required should it be considered appropriate to introduce such an organisation in the future.

2001 - 'Independent representation - the time is right'

In personnel issues, as well, the military could benefit from the responsible assistance of a representative body. Most of the recent policy changes, admirable though they may be, have been made in isolation by civil servants and senior officers. An injection of views from the lower levels might have helped to make the new policies more acceptable to the military as a whole.

But perhaps the most important contribution that independent representation might make would be to foster a new spirit of trust through the development of a partnership that unites all ranks.

The rise in support for independent representation appears to be based upon two major factors - communication and trust. While great strides are being made to improve downward communication what seems to be lacking at the moment is a satisfactory system of upward communication. The feeling seems to be that the chain of command cannot be relied upon as a means of passing information from the lower ranks to the senior officers or perhaps more to the point 'the chain of command are not prepared to fight for the interests of soldiers ... they are too busy with budgets.' Trust in the leadership seems to be at an all time low. trust by the leadership does not seem to be any better, but 'unless the leadership is completely committed to creating an environment of trust ... for everyone in the enterprise, nothing will change'. A demonstration of trust in the Armed Forces to create a responsible representative body would go a long way towards remedying the present situation. After all it must be in the interests of the MOD to have 'content, loyal and motivated personnel to meet the requirements of defence policy'.

2002 - 'A British Armed Forces Federation; In anticipation of the inevitable'

A demonstration of trust in the Armed Forces to create a responsible representative body would go a long way towards remedying the present situation. A unique opportunity exists here for the MoD to have a significant input into the formation of an acceptable representative body. Whether they like it or not independent representation is inevitable. Far better then to anticipate this and encourage, even initiate, the formation of such an organisation.  This would go a long way towards remedying the lack of trust which exists between junior and senior ranks. After all it must be in the interests of the MoD to have ‘content, loyal and motivated personnel to meet the requirements of defence policy’ and independent representation would go a long way towards achieving this.

  • A British Armed Forces Federation: In Anticipation of the Inevitable, Richard Bartle (2002)

2005 - 'Silence in the Ranks'

We would be happy ... to contribute to a wider debate about the representation of the armed forces community and its relationship with the democratic system.

2006 - BBC: 'Troops react to tax bill bonus'

Members of the unofficial but popular Army Rumour Service website have been sharing their thoughts on the news, which follows a campaign to stop soldiers paying tax on their earnings - something that American GIs do not do. One member writes:

"It is a victory of sorts because it establishes the principle that service personnel can call for change through their own representative body - BAFF (British Armed Forces Federation) - and get listened to in the corridors of power.
 
"We started publicly calling for tax breaks on operational service a month ago, long before the politicians and journos got in on the act, and we first raised the issue of comparison with the minimum wage."

2007 - 'Breaking the Covenant'

The fact that the British Armed Forces Federation has been proposed, highlights the scale of unease and discontent with the effectiveness of the chain of command across a whole range of issues such as terms and conditions of service; the realities of service life in terms of equality and diversity rights; and the need for legal support.
... there has been an ill-considered response to the proposed launch of the British Armed Forces Federation. Defence chiefs have been irresponsible in arguing that the creation of an independent military ‘trade union’ would lead to soldiers voting on whether or not they should go to war and taking strike action—something to be explicitly excluded in the federation’s proposed founding documents...
Finally, the chain of command needs to address issues raised by the proposals for a British Armed Forces Federation. At the very least, these proposals indicate the scale of feeling within the armed forces and the need for fresh thinking.

  • Breaking the covenant: governance of the British army in the twenty-first century; Anthony Forster; International Affairs, Chatham House, Vol 82 Issue 6, pp 1043 - 1057, Jan 2007

2007 - Sunday Telegraph

One manifestation of the discontent of the rank and file is the creation of the British Armed Forces Federation, a non-political body composed of serving and former members of the Armed Forces, who have joined together to campaign for better pay and conditions for troops.

For many in the military, the majority of whom are conservative by nature, the mere existence of such an organisation would have once been unthinkable. But in today's climate the organisation's membership is growing daily and it is developing into a powerful and influential force.

2007 - 'Out of Step, The case for change in the British Armed Forces'

 Perhaps the most distinctive development over the last decade has been the launch of the British Armed Forces Federation (BAFF) as an independent campaigning professional association for serving and retired service personnel...

The response of senior commanders to the creation of BAFF and their criticism set out for the House of Commons Select Committee has been mixed.

While some senior commanders have argued that any independent organisation designed to ‘fight for the rights’ of British troops is completely unnecessary and threatens a dangerous breakdown of military discipline, others, such as the late Lord Garden, a former RAF Air Marshal..., have been ‘surprised talking to retired senior military people who are prepared to think about it, saying there might be a case for it’.

2008 - House of Commons Defence Committee: Recruitment and Retention in the Armed Forces

We have listened carefully to the arguments both for and against an Armed Forces Federation. We are open-minded about the benefits of such a Federation, but we are concerned that the MoD is not. We recommend that the MoD considers more constructively the possible benefits which may be gained from an independent Armed Forces Federation, and encourage the MoD to consult with the British Armed Forces Federation.

2008 - 'British soldiers want a federation to represent then, poll finds

Almost three quarters of British soldiers support the creation of an independent armed forces federation to represent their interests, according to a poll conducted by the Army.
 
Support for an armed forces federation has been growing for a number of years amid claims that the rank and file have been failed by the "chain of command", although this is the first time that the Army has polled its own members on the issue.

The clear support for an independent body will be a severe blow for Britain's top brass who have long argued that an armed forces federation is unnecessary and could damage military discipline and morale.

The survey was conducted on the Army's own website called "Armynet" which is restricted to use by troops and their families.

Readers were asked: "Should there be an Army Federation to represent the interests of ordinary soldiers?" Of the 3,500 respondents, 51 per cent answered "yes"; 22 per cent thought it was a good idea; 23 per cent were against the proposal and two per cent answered "don't know"...

  • Sunday Telegraph, 28 Sep 2008. The poll began in mid-September and was still running when this article was published. It has been reported on unofficial websites that by the time the poll was ended, nearly 5,400 ArmyNet users had voted, of whom more than half were strongly in favour of a Federation and nearly three quarters were either strongly or moderately in favour. Ironically, the Ministry of Defence was unaware of the poll:

2008 - Ministry of Defence Response to Defence Committee - 'An Independent Armed Forces Federation'

Service personnel may join organisations such as British Armed Forces Federation. However, we are not aware of any groundswell of opinion from members of the Armed Forces for the establishment of a federation... However, as we have said before, we do keep the situation under review, and will speak to any group that seeks to represent the interests of our people.  

2009 - ?

 

Idea and title of an 'Armed Forces Federation' not new

1956 - German Armed Forces Federation founded.

1978 - Labour Government defence spokesman mentions German Armed Forces Federation in Defence debate in House of Lords.

1984 - Armed Forces Federation of Australia Inc founded.

1993 - Staff federation for armed forces advocated in House of Commons.

1994 - "Growing talk of the need for an Armed Forces Federation" mentioned in House of Lords.

1995 - Official 'Bett Review' report for the UK Secretary of State for Defence, raises question of an Armed Forces Federation not unlike the Police Federation.

2002 - Richard Bartle, former Inspector of Army Training and later a BAFF founding member, writes paper entitled "A British Armed Forces Federation; In anticipation of the inevitable."

2006 - Armed Forces Federation discussed by House of Commons Armed Forces Bill Committee and by the Defence Committee in 2008. Armed Forces (Federation) Bill introduced in the House of Commons in the 2006-07 Session, and a new private members bill introduced in the 2007-2008 Session.

late 2006 - BAFF launched.

See also