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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 1, 2009 17:46:22 GMT 12
I saw on the news that the catering staff at RNZAF Base Ohakea walked off the job today to go on strike because of the appaulling wages they are getting. The are contracted civilians and work for a company called Compass, which apparently made $22 Billion profit in the past year, but py their staff minimum wage, and that (according to the union guy) applies to experienced staff. he said one worker had been doing the job 30 years and was on $13.50 per hour.
I wonder if the RNZAF regrets scrapping its own chefs now.
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Post by baz62 on Apr 1, 2009 18:18:14 GMT 12
I saw the news item and a placard shown saying the Air Force was at fault. They aren't employed by the RNZAF so perhaps rather then moan at our boys in blue they should moan at their employers! Typical ignorance at work.
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Post by Kenny on Apr 1, 2009 19:41:17 GMT 12
I saw the news item and a placard shown saying the Air Force was at fault. They aren't employed by the RNZAF so perhaps rather then moan at our boys in blue they should moan at their employers! Typical ignorance at work. I thought the exact same thing  |
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Post by phil on Apr 1, 2009 20:58:42 GMT 12
That wont win them any friends on base.
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Post by paddy on Apr 2, 2009 10:14:54 GMT 12
I wonder if the RNZAF regrets scrapping its own chefs now.
Cooking is an essential service as is security. The Defence Forces cannot operate without either and, as such, they should be subject to Military Command and Discipline. If New Zealand's (or Australia's) Military Bases come under threat from long range missiles how many of these civilians will come to work. Not many I bet and I wouldn't blame them either.
About the only trade I can think of that could be performed by civilians and would not effect military preparedness in time of war (or even heightened tensions) is PTI. Not much call for 12 minute run tests while missiles and bombs are flying around.
I'm also sure that the combined might of all the takeaway food shops in Sanson and Bulls won't make a difference to the hunger being felt on Ohakea at the moment.
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Post by phil on Apr 2, 2009 11:22:58 GMT 12
I think keeping chefs just in case we come under missile threat is probably not sufficient justification.
Nothing wrong with civilian contractors for catering on bases. We take army chefs away with us on the rare occaision that we need them, which again is hardly often enough to warrant keeping two entire trades.
The american military even uses civilian contractors to run their DIFACs in war zones, proving you don't even need uniformed personnel in theatre if you don't want to.
I think this is the first time the workers have gone on strike in the 13 years since they disbanded the chef trade in the RNZAF.
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Post by paddy on Apr 2, 2009 12:24:11 GMT 12
Hi Phil,
I wasn't aware that the Army still retained it's own Chefs. Still, if the New Zealand Defence Forces go on a war footing it still leaves not enough Cooks.
If, by the two trades, you include Stewards I agree that they are not necessary. We never took Stewards away with us on deployment. We did it ourselves. (Sorry I forgot the Officer's Mess where Stewards are a necessity)
I point out my version of the three services functions in time of war.
You use your Navy (has own chefs) to keep the enemy far enough away so you don't have to use your Airforce. You use your Airforce (no Chefs) to keep them far enough away so that you don't have to use your Army.(Has own Chefs)
That makes Airforce Bases at least a second tier target. The civilian Chefs aren't coming to work. Take out the Navy and then Airforce and the road to invasion is open.
Not that anyone would invade New Zealand. That was the justification of getting rid of the Strike Force wasn't it?
Also, New Zealand has a longer coastline than the Continental United States. How is the Army going to defend New Zealand when it doesn't have the transport aircraft to move troops where they are needed because the air bases have been destroyed. I'm pretty sure God won't help.
All of the above is a justification of keeping Catering as an in house essential function.
Either without the bases or essential inhouse functions New Zealand is open to the sort of things we all hope doesn't happen.
Feeding the troops is a higher priority than paying them. (Army Cooks in World War One were behind the Front Lines but still within enemy artillery range)
If the New Zealand Defence Force can't support itself in the field (all branches) and defend New Zealand isn't it just a very expensive Search and Rescue Organization
For want of a horseshoe nail etc springs to mind.
Feel free to flame!
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Post by Kenny on Apr 2, 2009 15:31:49 GMT 12
Yeah well judging by the new 0800 avionics tv ad, i think the Air Force have other things to worry about than bringing back chef trade.
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Post by phil on Apr 2, 2009 16:25:40 GMT 12
We can support ourselves in the field. We are very 'joint' these days, it's no longer the airforce going off and doing things, and the army doing some other thing, and the navy doing a third. All operations are run out of HQJFNZ, and if a deployment needs catering, it gets it. Just like the army don't have their own helicopters, if helicopters are needed Air supplies helicopters. If chefs are needed, Army supplies them.
It'a all about what each service brings to the force as a whole. There's no need to duplicate or triplicate services, that's just a waste.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 2, 2009 16:38:14 GMT 12
I assue the Navy still has chefs too? They'd have to for onboard ships I suppose. Good to hear the other armed services have their own catering staff.
This case is much like the clothing manufacturer last month, I feel sorry for the workers being screwed but it's not the RNZAF's fault for taking the cheapest deal available to them.
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Post by phil on Apr 2, 2009 16:45:02 GMT 12
Yes the Navy still have chefs
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Post by paddy on Apr 2, 2009 20:48:40 GMT 12
If the catering staff were still RNZAF there would not be a strike.
QED. Essential staff should be Defence Staff.
Are the Army Chefs now being deployed to Ohakea?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 2, 2009 22:03:27 GMT 12
When I was in, there were three trades in the RNZAF Mess's. There were Chefs (who were constantly winning international awards and mostly seemed to cook in the Officers and SNCO Mess's, with junior chefs who'd not yet won anything cooking for the workers in the Airman's Mess.) They were the ones known as Tucker F*ckers.
There were the Stewards who were only in Officers and SNCO Mess's, who set the tables and waited on tables I believe.
And there was Cooks, who did food preparation, some cooking and dishwashing. They were known as Fitters and Turners (they fitted all the food into a big pot and turned it to shit, as the legend went). The Cooks were made up of GSH's and some civil staff. The civil cooks were often extremely rude and bolshy for utterly no reason (ie not provoked, there was probably a reason like poor wages, but we all suffered from that!)
I recall that the civvie staff at the Hobsonville Airman's Mess did have a stop work meeting about their pay or conditions or something when I was there in 1991 but when they were on strike we just got a couple of RNZAF chefs come in from another mess so it made no difference and they were back at work the next day.
Even the bar staff are civvies now in the Mess's and Clubs I hear. Seems a waste of money to employ those people. Cut them, roster the troops back on the bars and you'll have spare cash to pay the cooks and chefs decent wages.
Paddy, it made me laugh when you said the Navy and Air Force can keep the enemy away. Ho, ho , ho. That's a good one, that is. ;D ;D
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Post by phil on Apr 3, 2009 6:04:04 GMT 12
No paddy, the catering company is covering the strike with other staff.
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Post by flyjoe180 on Apr 3, 2009 8:58:41 GMT 12
$13.50 after 10 years. Hardly worth getting out of bed for.
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Post by Peter Lewis on Apr 3, 2009 9:36:22 GMT 12
Almost as bad as aero club instructing Joe.
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Post by flyjoe180 on Apr 3, 2009 9:43:20 GMT 12
Probably better off catering.
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Post by 30sqnatc on Apr 8, 2009 15:16:18 GMT 12
About the only trade I can think of that could be performed by civilians and would not effect military preparedness in time of war (or even heightened tensions) is PTI. Not much call for 12 minute run tests while missiles and bombs are flying around. Their war role is rehabilitation of injured personnel so yes they do have an operational function as people will sustain injuries 'while missiles and bombs are flying around'. My old dad on a very few occassions described some of the injuries he saw the day his Coastal Command base, Delting got visited by the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. Paul |
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Post by 30sqnatc on Apr 8, 2009 15:26:58 GMT 12
'There were the Stewards who were only in Officers and SNCO Mess's, who set the tables and waited on tables I believe'A total misunderstanding of the Steward trade If they were just there to set and wait tables they would be called waiters or waitresses. Who do you think operationally sets up and administers the messes & accomodation, assists the chefs, purchases/uplifts food & drink, runs the welfare facilities etc, etc. It doesn't happen by itself. They have a very real place in maintaining morale. Paul
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 13, 2009 19:54:36 GMT 12
Paul, thank for that insight. I was never an officer or NCO so have not had the privilege of seeing them in action. All I know is I and some others from my section were used as dummies at a table at 3TTS once when a Steward course was havin their trade test, and they set the table and then waited on us with a meal, whilst their instructors marked them. I also knew a couple of Mess Stewards in my barracks and they said that was what they basically did, though I guess as junior ranks they may not have had the responsibilities of other senior Stewards?
The accomodation (for the lower ranks at least) in the RNZAF when I was in was handled by a section of Admin (in terms of allocation of rooms), the Barrack Warden (in the Supply trade) in terms of upkeep, and Barrack NCO's who were any trade who were assigned the task of weekly inspections of rooms and facilities to ensure rostered cleaning was carried out by the barrack tenants. I think this was a six month task they did from memory. We certainly never had any dealings with Mess Stewards at all, but I guess things were different in the upper rank Messes?
I also assumed the purchase of food and drink was handled by Suppliers (who purchased everything else for the RNZAF), and Mess managers and their committees (again people from any trade who were assigned (or sometimes volunteered for) the role of overseeing the bar side of the Mess, including ordering alcohol etc. My Sergeant at Wigram did that for a long time. He spent more time at the bar "on business" than at his real job.
Welfare again when I was in seemed to be Admin Section work. They had their own Welfare Officer. Have things changed drastically or is it just two different systems, one for the Officers and SNCO's and the other for the Other Ranks?
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