Armed Forces Covenant

The Armed Forces Covenant

An Enduring Covenant Between

The People of the United Kingdom

His Majesty’s Government

– and  –

All those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown

And their Families

The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members ofthe Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.

Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.

This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.

Section 2: Demonstrating our Commitment

2.1 We recognise the value that serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business and to our country. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant,by:

Promoting the Armed Forces: promoting the fact that we are an Armed Forces-friendly organisation, to our staff, customers, suppliers, contractors and wider public.

Veterans: supporting the employment of veterans, recognising military skills and qualifications in our recruitment and selection process; working with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP)to support the employment of Service leavers;

Service Spouses & Partners: supporting the employment of Service spouses and partners; partnering with the Forces Families Jobs Forum (www.forcesfamiliesjobs.co.uk); and providing flexibility in granting leave for Service spouses and partners before, during and after a partner’s deployment.

Reserves: supporting our employees who are members of the Reserve Forces; granting additional paid/unpaid leave for annual Reserve Forces training; supporting any mobilisations and deployment; actively encouraging members of staff to become Reservists;

Cadet Organisations: supporting our employees who are volunteer leaders in military cadet organisations, granting additional leave to attend annual training camps and courses; actively encouraging members of staff to become volunteer leaders in cadet organisations; supporting local military cadet units; recognising the benefits of employing cadets/ex-cadets within the workforce.

National Events: supporting Armed Forces Day,Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal Dayand Remembrance activities;

Armed Forces Charities: supporting Armed Forces charities with fundraising and supporting staff who volunteer to assist;

2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature, on staff notices, and on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community, our staff and our customers on how we are doing.