Conflict Management Plus has been awarded the tender to supply external independent mediation, and train and quality assure internal mediators, for the Armed Forces.
The contract, to run until 2010, means that service personnel across the whole of the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force are being encouraged by the Ministry of Defence’s leaders to access mediation speedily and locally, in cases of discrimination and harassment.
The contract is part of the agreement signed by the MoD and the EOC in June 2005, on preventing and dealing with sexual harassment in the Armed Forces.
The scale of the planned mediation provision demonstrates the MoD’s continuing commitment to handling complaints appropriately and increasing their personnel’s confidence in their complaints system.
The principle aim for the MoD is to resolve disputes between personnel and restore operational effectiveness through a resolution which is satisfactory to all the parties involved, in the fastest way possible and at the lowest possible level. Line managers remain key to preventing and dealing with harassment and conflicts at work – and now expertise from outside the chain of command is also available.
The MoD’s highest priority in selecting a provider was its opinion of the quality and effectiveness of the proposed mediation and training service. Conflict Management Plus Ltd have over 16 years’ track record in this area and won the tender in the face of stiff competition from the UK’s other mediation training providers.
Katherine Graham Director of Corporate Affairs at Conflict Management Plus Ltd said: “Clearly the armed forces have special pressures on them, and are rarely out of the news – the last thing they need is bad feeling within their own teams. It’s vital that the people serving in the forces know that relationships with others in their team are free from conflict and tension, so they can all work together and focus on the task at hand.
“Mediation will help them to move beyond differences, and get back to the mutual trust and respect that is so vital to their work. The MoD is really embracing the potential of mediation and we particularly appreciate the thorough, tri-service approach its taking. We are delighted to be working with the MoD on this challenging work.”
