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ST. JOHN CANADA INSTRUCTIONS
2-9-3
DISCIPLINE
AND GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
GENERAL
1. It is expected that all Brigade members will do their utmost to fulfill the
objectives of the St. John Ambulance Brigade, and that they will act in a manner becoming
a St. John Ambulance Brigade volunteer. As the most highly visible members of St. John
Ambulance, Brigade members must reflect a positive image of the organization at all times.
MEMBERS OBLIGATIONS
2. By virtue of their membership in the Brigade, all members have the following
obligations:
a. to read, become familiar and comply with St. John Canada Instructions - Part 2:
Volunteers, and with all provincial/territorial, area or divisional rules or
directives;
b. to assist in maintaining the loyalty, goodwill and image essential to the well-being
of the Brigade; and to carry out duties with enthusiasm, efficiency, decency, integrity
and honesty, and in accordance with the law; and
c. to participate in training provided by St. John Ambulance, to the level required for
the community services performed.
3. All members are expected to carry out the duties assigned to them by their senior
officers. All officers and others appointed to positions of authority are expected to
exercise leadership, tact, patience and understanding towards all members under their
guidance, and to ensure they are trained to required standards and educated regarding
their obligations.
4. While performing community service, Brigade members are prohibited from activities
that jeopardize the reputation of St. John Ambulance, including but not limited to the
following:
a. smoking;
b. consuming alcoholic beverages,
c. arriving intoxicated at a duty;
d. furthering the objectives of any particular political party or lending support to
individual candidates during political elections.
SENIORITY
5. The Brigade member in charge of a duty will be designated. In the absence of this
designation, the Brigade member in charge in any Brigade duty situation will be, in order
of precedence:
a. the senior officer,
b. the senior non-commissioned officer,
c. the senior member.
Note that decisions affecting health care may be made by health care professionals.
6. Youth Leaders (Crusader or Cadet Officers) are responsible for the welfare and
behaviour of all youth present on a public duty. Where a youth leader is not present, the
officer in charge will assume this responsibility.
7. On joint public duties, the service of all assigned units will be coordinated, and
the officers in charge of each unit will be responsible to the officer appointed in charge
of the duty.
8. Officers holding active appointment take seniority over supernumerary officers and
officers on the Supplementary List.
CAUSE FOR DISCIPLINE
9. It is appropriate to initiate disciplinary actions against members if:
a. they contravene the prohibitions imposed on members (paragraph 4);
b. they fail to carry out their responsibilities, as stated in StJCI 2-1-1 (paragraphs
6 and 7)
c. they demonstrate behaviour unbecoming to a Brigade member.
10. All disciplinary actions must be carried out in a professional manner, causing no
undue embarrassment or humiliation to any party. The member being disciplined should be
interviewed in private by a senior officer, and should be prepared to rectify their
behaviour.
CAUSE FOR DISMISSAL
11. Members may be dismissed if:
a. they are unable, for any reason, to fulfill their obligations;
b. they have been convicted either by a Court of Criminal Justice or a Court Martial;
c. they have acted in a manner detrimental to St. John Ambulance, the Brigade or the
unit to which they belong.
12. Dismissal of volunteers will be a last resort, applied only when other available
and appropriate approaches have been attempted and failed. Dismissal will take place only
after consultation with the volunteer and the volunteers immediate supervisor,
whenever possible.
13. The dismissal of members for cause in positions below Provincial/Territorial
Commissioner may be approved by the Provincial/Territorial Commissioner. All positions of
Provincial/Territorial Commissioner and above require the approval of the National
Commissioner. In all cases, notification of dismissal must be forwarded to the attention
of the National Commissioner.
PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINE
14. Discipline of volunteers will adhere to the following St. John Ambulance
progressive discipline process:
a. Initial contact may be verbal and should be conducted in private. The verbal warning
should be documented.
b. If no change has resulted, a written warning should be given, by recapturing the
verbal warning and clearly defining expectations and any penalty for not changing. A copy
of the letter should be placed on file and sent to the Provincial/Territorial
Commissioner.
c. If, after a reasonable time period, there is still no change, recourse is to the
next senior officer (ie. Division, Area, Provincial/Territorial, National). Regardless of
which officer has been contacted, copies of all correspondence must be forwarded to all
involved subordinate officers as a courtesy and to keep them informed.
d. If the disciplinary issue reaches the level of the Provincial/Territorial
Commissioner, the Provincial/Territorial Commissioner has the authority to dismiss the
volunteer in question. In all cases, care must be taken to ensure that:
· the progressive discipline process outlined has been
followed, and adequate documentation exists;
· all efforts to resolve the situation at the local level
have been made;
· there has been no violation of any members human
rights; and
· notification of the dismissal is forwarded to the
attention of the National Commissioner.
COMPLAINTS AND GRIEVANCES
15. A complaint may be made verbally or in writing, and every effort must be made to
deal with it. A grievance must be made in writing, and must follow the procedure outlined
in paragraphs 16 and 17.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
16. All Brigade members, at any level within the Brigade, have the right to place a
grievance and to be treated in a fair and equitable manner. The following grievance
procedure is based on the fundamental values of respect for the individual, and exists so
that members can air problems and have an avenue to solve them:
a. Every effort must be made to solve problems co-operatively and informally before
being presented as a formal grievance.
b. Every effort must be made to achieve speedy and effective resolution at the lowest
levels of supervision.
c. All grievances must receive thoughtful consideration and must be discussed with the
complainant.
d. A grievance by an individual must be conveyed, in writing, directly to their
immediate supervisor, who will determine appropriate action.
e. A grievance involving the immediate supervisor must be conveyed, in writing, to that
persons immediate supervisor, who will determine appropriate action.
f. A grievance involving another person should be conveyed directly to the person(s)
involved. The presence of the immediate supervisor may be requested.
g. All grievances must be treated as confidential.
h. An officer receiving a grievance, after considering all the available relevant
information, and discussing it with the complainant, must attempt to deal with it by:
· negotiating a solution with the complainant;
· calling in a third party to assist in negotiations;
· disciplining the offender, if appropriate; or
· dismissing the grievance as unfounded.
i. If the officer is unable to resolve the issue, it should be submitted in writing to
the next senior officer. Copies of all correspondence must be forwarded to all involved
subordinate parties as a courtesy and to keep them informed.
j. All attempts at resolution may include examination of Brigade reports, signed
statements or oral testimony.
17. The National Commissioner may be contacted, in writing, if the following conditions
apply:
a. the grievance procedure outlined above has been followed;
b. all efforts to resolve the situation at the local level have been made;
c. both the Provincial/Territorial Commissioner and the Council President have been
informed and have attempted to solve the issue; and
d. there has been no violation of any members human rights.
AUTHORITY OF THE NATIONAL COMMISSIONER
18. The National Commissioner has the authority to remove from the roll of the
Brigade any member, other than a Senior Officer, whose conduct or influence is, or is
likely to be, prejudicial or injurious to St. John Ambulance, the Brigade or their unit.
This authority is delegated to Provincial/Territorial Commissioners operationally, as
indicated in paragraph 13. In the case of a Senior Officer, the National Commissioner must
submit a recommendation to Priory Council for their removal (see StJCI 2-3-2, paragraph
29).
19. The National Commissioner may choose to convene a Committee of Investigation if the
complaint remains unresolved. The Committee should consist of a chairperson and at least
two other members who are senior to any member under investigation. It is beneficial to
have a mix of Committee members by location and by gender. The terms of reference of the
Committee will be determined by the National Commissioner, to whom all findings and
recommendations will be reported. The ruling of the National Commissioner on the findings
and recommendations will be final.
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