BAFF blogs

The question of representation for armed forces personnel

Members of the UK Armed Forces do not have the same arrangements for collective representation as many other groups in society.

BAFF has long argued that effective independent representation need not mean conventional trade unionism, and certainly not industrial action or any form of indiscipline. Over the years we have explored the role of the chain of command, the Service Complaints system, staff associations and other representative bodies, and the wider question of how the voices and legitimate interests of Armed Forces personnel can best be heard.

There are many organisations which, with varying degress of accuracy, claim to be 'a voice' or 'the voice' for different sections of the armed forces community.

Although an armed forces representative body and an armed forces commissioner are not incompatible, the landscape has arguably changed with the establishment in 2026 of the Armed Forces Commissioner, with powers in relation to Service Complaints and General Service Welfare Matters. BAFF will continue to monitor and contribute constructively to debate.

This archive brings together BAFF articles addressing those issues over the past twenty years:

 

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