While I write this in reply to the article of SCDF officers slacking, I think most SCDF NSF can agree that the regulars in the force do make all the NSF do their work for them.
As I am currently serving my NS in SCDF, I find that regulars in camp do abuse the rules and regulations with no disciplinary action. While rules are given to us NSF that no sleeping is allowed during office hours, the regulars themselves choose to sleep while all the basic daily duties are done by the NSF.
I have on 1 occasion, arrived 2 mins late for camp and as punishment served 3 extra duties. A fellow NSF in my camp can serve 1 extra for being late while I serve 3. Where is the consistency in this? Another NSF who is on 'good' terms with the regulars can easily escape this by having the regular cover up for him. There is no extra duty record to show the amount of extras served. The records are all very vague. I also relate to a recent newspaper article pleading SCDF officers to show intergrity. To be honest, when I read that, I couldn't help but laugh.
I think most NSF can relate to this issue and people would wonder why no one is speaking up. The answer is simple, no one wants to out of fear that regulars would retaliate on us. Most of us just want to do our duties and ORD peacefully. Why try to change things and risk getting punished for it? That is the mindset of most NSF. I have experienced such issues in my own camp where we spoke to our senior officer about the treatment of the regulars to NSF. The officer tried to intervene to establish a fair ground for us but in all honesty, the regulars saw it as a threat to their power and just made our duties harder.
In all fact, the regulars believed they own the NSF and have supreme authority over us. If they feel any form of threat to their power, they immediately take it out on us by making us do ridiculous and unnecessary things to 'keep us in check' as they say. I remember a sergeant ever told me 'you're just a %^&#ing NSF, what can you do?" when I mentioned I would report another NSF ( who happens to be on good terms with this sergeant) for smoking. For those that do not know, smoking is a direct violation under SCDF regulations.
On a day to day basis, almost every duty is done by NSF. Even duties which are not supposed to be done by us are carried out by us because we are told to do so. So what do the regulars do on a daily basis? Book in, take time and happily take their pay.
Recently my unit carried out an event for SCDF which we organised. The whole unit was involved but the NSF had to do a lot of moving and planning for the event as it was delegated to us by the regulars. It ate into our civilian time and we were supposedly going to be compensated for it. By the time the event finished we were all granted half day off for the extra work we did. The regulars were granted 2 days. 2 days for delegating your work to NSF and claiming all the credit.
I had given up all hopes of fair treatment and proper transparency for my NS time and just want to get it done with. The life saving force can't even save my life now.
SCDF NSF
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