Officer
Employment?
Often I have tried
to explain to people in the community the nature of an officers’ employee relationship
to The Salvation Army. We are not actually employees, we are not volunteers, we
are not self traders or sub contractors. In the course of this explanation
there is a mix of reactions. Some are surprised at this relationship while
others raise questions about the legality of how this relationship is allowed
to work given current employee/ employer rules and regulations in Australia. Trying
to explain how this relationship works is difficult.
As a Salvation
Army officer, if you have employees working under you, you are required by national
and state law to follow all employee legislation in your dealings with them.
They have legal rights that that must observed. Should an officer fail to
observe these employee rights and follow correct procedures The Salvation Army
could find itself in court.
However, it is my
understanding that as a Salvation Army Officer you do not have same legal
standing and protections as the employees you have to administer. I once had it
said to me by a very senior officer that “the Army” could one day decide that
they don’t have an appointment for me, they could then say “thank you” and that
would be the end of the relationship. While I never heard of this actually
happening I am very concerned that if I upset the wrong people within the
organisation it just might happen. Especially as some very senior positions
within The Salvation Army are now being held by actual non-officer employees.
In the Australian Eastern Territory employees now outnumber officers by almost
seven to one.
Our odd
“employment” status in the modern labour landscape raises some important
issues.
Is this lack of
access for Salvation Army Officers to employee rights enshrined in legislation
ethical in the modern labour landscape?
There are now some
highly placed employees that have officers working under them. If the officer
does meet expectations what protection does that officer have should their
employee manager no longer want them in their department?
We are not allowed
{by law} to discriminate as to religious beliefs when it comes to hiring and
firing employees. It is not required that an employee be a practicing Christian
when they are employed by The Salvation Army however they do have uphold the
values and standards of the organisation. What if that well respected and very talented
highly placed employee suddenly becomes an atheist?
I believe that it
is time to form an association for Salvation Army officers. This association
could;
- To be a voice for and from Salvation Army Officers to Territorial Leadership.
- To offer a listening ear and if necessary offer counsel and advice to those officers who are feeling disaffected by “our system”.
- To act as mediator between officers and the officer leadership to ensure the same fair and equitable process is offered on all levels as is offered to those The Salvation Army employs.
- To regularly dialogue with our Territorial Leadership about issues causing serious concern among the officer ranks.
- To work with the Territorial Pastoral Care Office to follow up on former officers within the Territory.
The Salvation Army
Officers Association should not be seen as a union. It should only seek to
provide representation and guidance to its members and as such will only
involve itself in any industrial relations matters in that capacity. This association will not have all the
answers and it may not be able to solve all the issues. However how many now
former officers would still be serving God in His Army if they access to the
same processes and procedures that employees automatically have access to?
Ordinary rank and file Officers need a voice they currently they do not have
when it comes to their employment status, this association may be that voice.
Colin Young
Commanding Officer
Dubbo, NSW Australia
7 comments:
This is similar to the concerns raised by lay people in Canada which resulted in the formation of the advisory council of Salvation Army laymen ACSAL in 1965. ACSAL also discussed the problems facing officers and made numerous recommendations to the administration which resulted in many changes over the course of years. My husband was a founding member of ACSAL and was the President from 1974 to 1978,
Barbara Sanjivi (former) Canada
while this has not been tested in the courts for some time, I think that a court would decide very differently now. I am not at all sure that the Salvation Army has the protection it thinks it has in relation to Salvation Army Officers in Australia
In Sweden TSA succumbed to government pressure as the country's laws changed. Most officers appear to favour the ruling as we now have greater freedom and protection in some areas of our lives. But, I would much prefer a return to the time when we lived in faith and in the assurance that 'God is all, and He will provide'.
Sweden
I am not a former Officer, just "former", sadly not overwhelmed with respect for the other category. But it must be right that the relationship between Officer and Organisation be regularised in accordance with the law of the land where the Officer works. And the legitimate C21st employment rights applied.
I believe that another somewhat larger religious organisation argued that it was not responsible for the wrongdoing of its priests, and could not be held to account when more senior officials covered up the wrong-doing. This I believe has been thrown out by the Court who ruled that there was an employer/employee relationship.
I have always had the feeling that the SA tends to regard itself as above the law just because it is the SA. But all employees should be properly protected against potential employer mis-management whether it is the SA or anyone else.
Old Hornblower
can you furnish an email address so I can send emails. I have no interest in private forums.
sheila.s.bigelow@nasa.gov
Sheila, I am the blog administrator and my email address is selmoscow@aol.com .I look forward to hearing from you.
I live in Florida which is a right to work state. That means anyone can be dismissed for any reason, or none at all, at will. Even when I was a union member in Ft.L. that was the case. The union won benefits and salary increases but could never prevent you from dismissal.
Post a Comment