The Royal Alfred Seafarers? Society
We, the undersigned, commit to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the value Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.
The Armed Forces Covenant
An enduring covenant between the people of the United Kingdom, Her 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 of the 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 1: Principles of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant
1.1 We The Royal Alfred Seafarers? Society will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:
- no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen;
- and in some circumstances that special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Section 2: Demonstrating our commitment
2.1 The Royal Alfred Seafarers? Society recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by pledging to the following:
- Armed Forces Friendly
We also pledge the following:
Promoting the Armed Forces: We will publicise our Armed Forces Covenant through our website We will display the Armed Forces Covenant logo to show that members of the Armed Forces are welcome customers. Employment support to members of the Armed Forces Community: We will offer guaranteed interviews to veterans, young and old, if they meet the selection criteria laid out in a job advert We will recognise military skills and qualifications when interviewing for new positions. We will support the employment of service spouses, partners and dependants by signing up to Forces Families Jobs. We will offer guaranteed interviews to spouses/partners if they meet the selection criteria laid out in a job advert. We will look sympathetically on requests for holiday before, during or after a partners overseas deployment, when the service person has leave to spend with their family. We will consider if special paid leave is appropriate for those employees who are bereaved or whose loved ones are injured. Communications, engagement and outreach: We will support and promote Armed Forces Events such as Annual Day of the Seafarer, Merchant Navy Day, Trafalgar Day, Armed Forces Day and the Annual National Service for Seafarers’. We will signpost members of the Armed Forces Community to available support through our website, for example, Cobseo, The War Widows Association of Great Britain, The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, The Forces Pension Society and SSAFA. We will engage with any local Armed Forces presence, for example The Veterans and Families Lis-tening Project. We will develop relationships and work collaboratively with other organisations supporting the covenant in our region, for example, Epsom and St Hellier Trust. Commercial: We will ensure that the Armed Forces Community (especially Seafarers’ and their dependants) has fair access to our services and is not put at a disadvantage by their service. Health We will promote awareness raising schemes such as veteran-friendly accreditation for GP prac¬tices and the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance Housing: We will provide for preference in our housing scheme and nursing home for seafarers, as per our Royal Charter. Training: We will ensure that our staff are trained to understand the needs of the Armed Forces Commu¬nity, specifically Seafarers’ by offering maritime acquaint training. Civic responsibilities: We will take part in Remembrance Day and other such ceremonial activities
2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.