British Armed Forces Federation
Encyclopedia
The British Armed Forces Federation ("BAFF") is an independent non-statutory professional staff association for members of the British Armed Forces
. It is politically non-partisan. Founded in late 2006 as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee
, BAFF has so far no full-time staff and no formal regional network. It operates collaboratively, using the Internet
as the primary means of communication amongst its members worldwide. Membership is open to anyone who is serving or has served in the Royal Navy
/Royal Marines
, British Army
, or Royal Air Force
, irrespective of rank or type of engagement (Regular or Reserves).
Neither is BAFF a trade union
. The Steering Group seemed at pains to stress that the organisation would not be a trade union. In any case, although Regular service personnel are permitted by Queen's Regulations
to join civilian trade unions or professional associations in order to enhance their trade skills and professional knowledge and as an aid to resettlement, armed forces personnel are specifically excluded from the definition of "workers" for the purposes of British trade union legislation. A body set up to represent such personnel cannot, therefore, register as a trade union under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992
.
BAFF is registered with the Information Commissioner as a data controller, under its Company name BAFF (2006) Ltd and the operating name "British Armed Forces Federation". BAFF is regulated by the UK Ministry of Justice
in respect of regulated claims management activities
.
BAFF is managed by an elected Executive Council of 15 members.
Military staff associations may be configured to represent
In accordance with the principle "All of one company", BAFF recruits from all such categories, but with a reduced subscription for junior serving personnel.
Australia
Republic of Ireland
United States
, the European Organisation of Military Associations, but is not formally affiliated to that organisation. BAFF also has informal bilateral contacts with a number of EUROMIL-affiliated associations. As a member of a EUROMIL observer delegation, a BAFF representative has been participating in a Council of Europe
working group on Human Rights of Members of the Armed Forces.
Committee in February 2006 the Chief of Defence Staff
of the time, General Sir Michael Walker (now Lord Walker of Aldringham) argued that
Sir Michael went on to give the example of an unspecified national contingent which, while he was in command in Bosnia, had (he told the Committee)
Speaking in an Armed Forces debate in the House of Lords in June 2006, Field Marshal Lord Inge
acknowledged a "growing demand for a military federation or union", but went on to pose the rhetorical question "whether those [armed forces] who have federations and unions have ever won".
A report published in November 2007 by the British think tank Demos
commented that
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
. It is politically non-partisan. Founded in late 2006 as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee
Company limited by guarantee
In British and Irish company law, a private company limited by guarantee is an alternative type of corporation used primarily for non-profit organisations that require legal personality. A guarantee company does not usually have a share capital or shareholders, but instead has members who act as...
, BAFF has so far no full-time staff and no formal regional network. It operates collaboratively, using the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
as the primary means of communication amongst its members worldwide. Membership is open to anyone who is serving or has served in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
/Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
, British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, or Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, irrespective of rank or type of engagement (Regular or Reserves).
Status and governance
As it exists primarily for the benefit of the members of a profession, BAFF is not a registered charity. The Steering Group which took BAFF to formation stated that the Federation would "not seek to supplant the role of any existing charity or other agency involved in service welfare."Neither is BAFF a trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
. The Steering Group seemed at pains to stress that the organisation would not be a trade union. In any case, although Regular service personnel are permitted by Queen's Regulations
Queen's Regulations
Queen's Regulations are a collection of orders and regulations in force in the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force, forming guidance for officers of these armed services in all matters of discipline and personal conduct...
to join civilian trade unions or professional associations in order to enhance their trade skills and professional knowledge and as an aid to resettlement, armed forces personnel are specifically excluded from the definition of "workers" for the purposes of British trade union legislation. A body set up to represent such personnel cannot, therefore, register as a trade union under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992
Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992
The Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1992 is a UK Act of Parliament which regulates British labour law. The Act applies in full in England and Wales and in Scotland, and partially in Northern Ireland....
.
BAFF is registered with the Information Commissioner as a data controller, under its Company name BAFF (2006) Ltd and the operating name "British Armed Forces Federation". BAFF is regulated by the UK Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Justice is a ministerial department of the UK Government headed by the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, who is responsible for improvements to the justice system so that it better serves the public...
in respect of regulated claims management activities
Claims management company
In England and Wales, a claims management company is a business that offers claims management services to the public. Claims management services consist of advice or services in respect of claims for compensation, restitution, repayment or any other remedy for loss or damage, or in respect of some...
.
BAFF is managed by an elected Executive Council of 15 members.
Services and campaigns
According to statements on the BAFF website, the current offering of services to members of the Federation includes:- An independent voice, including media relations, parliamentary lobbying and representations to Central and Local Government. The Federation campaigns on issues such as:
- improvements to single living accommodation
- improvements to service family accommodation
- armed forces compensation scheme limits
- medical care for forces personnel and families
- medical care for veterans
- social housing entitlements for ex-service personnel and families
- A free legal advice helpline which does not, however, cover "employment-related matters".
- A free personal accident claim line.
- A restricted members-only internet forumInternet forumAn Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
, which BAFF regards as a key means of consultation and the identification of collective issues.
Organisational models
According to statements on its website, the BAFF Constitution was drawn up in consultation with some fifty serving personnel from all three branches of HM Forces. A "specifically British solution for the British armed forces", BAFF claims not to be modelled on any other single organisation, but that its Steering Group took into account (and in certain cases, visited) a wide range of organisations representing operational public service staff, including:- Representative military organisations in Australia. The Armed Forces Federation of Australia Inc was founded in 1984 and ceased operations at the end of 2006, but the Defence Force Welfare Association (founded 1959) and Defence Reserves Association (founded 1969) continue to represent Australian personnel and are recognized by the Chain of CommandChain of CommandChain of Command may refer to:* Chain of command, in a military context, the line of authority and responsibility along which orders are passed* "Chain of Command" , the fifth episode of the first season of Beast Wars...
of the Australian Defence ForceAustralian Defence ForceThe Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...
. - Association of the United States ArmyAssociation of the United States ArmyThe Association of the United States Army is a private, non-profit organization that acts primarily as an advocacy group for the United States Army. Founded in 1950, it has 125 chapters worldwide. Membership is open to everyone, not just Army personnel, nor is membership mandatory for soldiers,...
. - Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association. (Ireland).
- Police Federation of England and WalesPolice Federation of England and WalesThe Police Federation of England and Wales is the representative body to which all police officers in England and Wales up to and including the rank of Chief Inspector belong. There are 141,000 members as of July 2009...
, Defence Police Federation, and other UK Police Federations. - GCG section of the Public and Commercial Services UnionPublic and Commercial Services UnionThe Public and Commercial Services Union is the sixth largest trade union in the United Kingdom. Most of its members work in government departments and other public bodies although some work for private companies.- Membership and organisation :...
, which represents GCHQ staff.
Military staff associations may be configured to represent
- Specific rankMilitary rankMilitary rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms...
ranges within the military hierarchy; - Specific sections of the armed forces - Navy, Army, Air Force, or (where applicable) Gendarmerie; or
- Specific categories of personnel - regulars, reservists, conscripts (where applicable) or retirees.
In accordance with the principle "All of one company", BAFF recruits from all such categories, but with a reduced subscription for junior serving personnel.
English language examples of military staff association
Dates of establishment are shown in brackets. Australia
Republic of Ireland
- Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association (1991)
- Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (1991)
- Reserve Defence Force Representative Association (1991)
United States
- Association of the United States ArmyAssociation of the United States ArmyThe Association of the United States Army is a private, non-profit organization that acts primarily as an advocacy group for the United States Army. Founded in 1950, it has 125 chapters worldwide. Membership is open to everyone, not just Army personnel, nor is membership mandatory for soldiers,...
(1950) - Army Reserve Association (1993)
- Military Officers Association of AmericaMilitary Officers Association of AmericaThe Military Officers Association of America, or MOAA, is an association of 370,000 military officers, including active duty, retired, National Guard, Reserve, and former officers and their families. It is an independent, nonprofit, and politically nonpartisan organization...
(1929) - Non Commissioned Officers Association (1960)
- Reserve Officers AssociationReserve Officers AssociationThe Reserve Officers Association is a professional association of officers, former officers, and spouses of all the uniformed services of the United States, primarily the Reserve and National Guard. Chartered by Congress and in existence since 1922, ROA advises and educates the Congress, the...
(1922)
International contacts
BAFF liaises with EUROMILEUROMIL
The European Organisation of Military Associations is a politically independent, not-for-profit organisation of free, democratic associations of military personnel in Europe...
, the European Organisation of Military Associations, but is not formally affiliated to that organisation. BAFF also has informal bilateral contacts with a number of EUROMIL-affiliated associations. As a member of a EUROMIL observer delegation, a BAFF representative has been participating in a Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
working group on Human Rights of Members of the Armed Forces.
Criticisms and controversies
In the course of evidence to a House of CommonsBritish House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
Committee in February 2006 the Chief of Defence Staff
Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)
The Chief of the Defence Staff is the professional head of the British Armed Forces, a senior official within the Ministry of Defence, and the most senior uniformed military adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Prime Minister...
of the time, General Sir Michael Walker (now Lord Walker of Aldringham) argued that
If we had a set of Armed Services that reacted to every whim of every influential group in it, we would get nowhere in delivering military capability for this country, so I believe that the chain of command must do that business. The Armed Forces Pay Review BodyArmed Forces' Pay Review BodyThe Armed Forces' Pay Review Body is a United Kingdom non-departmental public body established to review and recommend the pay and terms and conditions of employment of the British armed forces...
does look after the conditions and pay concerns and we would certainly lose the AFPRB and I am not sure we would get as much attention from the Government in terms of rewarding people.
Sir Michael went on to give the example of an unspecified national contingent which, while he was in command in Bosnia, had (he told the Committee)
laid down its arms because, it said, the pay deal was not right, so they put their arms down. Do you really see British Armed Services doing that? That is the sort of trouble you get into when there is a representative body who are fighting back at home, your soldiers are at the front and they do not appear to be achieving.
Speaking in an Armed Forces debate in the House of Lords in June 2006, Field Marshal Lord Inge
Peter Inge, Baron Inge
Field Marshal Peter Anthony Inge, Baron Inge was the Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, between 1992 and 1994. He then served as Chief of the Defence Staff before retiring in 1997.-Army career:...
acknowledged a "growing demand for a military federation or union", but went on to pose the rhetorical question "whether those [armed forces] who have federations and unions have ever won".
A report published in November 2007 by the British think tank Demos
Demos (UK think tank)
- History :Demos was founded in 1993 by former Marxism Today editor Martin Jacques, and Geoff Mulgan, who became its first director. It was formed in response to what Mulgan, Jacques and others saw as a crisis in politics in Britain, with voter engagement in decline and political institutions...
commented that
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’.
External links
- BAFF official website
- "Managing People in Tomorrow's Armed Forces" - Independent Review of the Armed Forces' Manpower, Career and Remuneration Structures (Chairman Michael Bett QC): Report to the Secretary of State for Defence, HMSO 1995; ISBN 978-0117726932 (hardback edition); paras 7.36-7 "Representation"
- "New People Strategies for the British Armed Forces", ed Alexandrou, Bartle & Holmes, London 2001, ISBN 0-7146-5212-1 (cloth), 0-7146-8202-0 (paper), c.10 - "Independent Representation - The Time Is Right"
- "British Armed Forces Federation: An Independent Voice", The House Parliamentary Magazine, 2 April 2007 (accessed Nov 2007)
- "Federation X", Membership Today Magazine, May 2007 (accessed Oct 2007)
- House of Commons Defence Committee, Report of Inquiry into Medical Care for the Armed Forces, Written Evidence, Memorandum from the British Armed Forces Federation (BAFF) (accessed Feb 2008)
- "Fighting for Soldiers on the Front Line", The Inverness Courier, 14 March 2008 (accessed Mar 2008)
- House of Commons debates: Tuesday, 13 May 2008: Kevan Jones: Bill to make provision for the establishment of a Federation for the Armed Forces
- http://timesonline.typepad.com/mick_smith/2006/05/would_baff_work.html