To think well done for the RNLI for sacking people with naked women mugs

[jnfrrss]

Totally not acceptable to have naked women mugs at work! I applaud them. Nick Ferrari is raising my blood pressure minimising such behaviour.

I've never worked anywhere where naked women imagery is acceptable, even if they are covering their modesty

Why is it always one extreme to the other

'I dont want that person in a position of responsibility'

' so drown then'

To be fair the first quote isn't extreme

Quite right. PC > saving lives, obviously.

How could anyone think otherwise?

We’ll saw a photo of the mug and the woman wasn’t naked. She was wearing knickers. No bra but her knees covered her boobs due to her sitting position. So hardly full frontal nudity.

Bare arms, legs and shoulders! Shock, horror.

Ah, just seen earlier post saying the actual mugs are different to the ones in the press. I will shut up then.

notaregular

So you actually saw the mug concerned?

Or have you just seen it in the newspapers

Oooh crosspost

FOR FUCK’s SAKE! THE MUGS ARE THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG! THEY ARE NOT WHY THE MEN WERE SACKED,

RTFT

Abuse, harassment, online bullying...

Jesus.

Blimey!!

I don't think there's any amount of volunteering or bravery that allows a man to cash it in for some kind of misogyny allowance! Shame on anyone who suggests otherwise

"When the people involved have been asked to desist with the behaviour and insisted on continuing as if workplace rules don’t apply to them no I don’t want them in that position of trust and responsibility.

So drown then...."

What an utterly twatty comment.

A pp already mentioned it, but I also wonder if one of the mugs had a female co-worker's face in it.
Given that the RNLI have said that the mugs shown are not an accurate representation of the real ones, and that the dismissal was a result of "production of inappropriate material of a sexual nature and associated social media activity directed at an RNLI staff member".

That could cover anything from simply the mug described, with a post on FB of "Hey, look at this mug of a model with Gary's face on" to sharing mockup pornographic material involving a female coworker.

But whatever happened it was considered that they engaged in bullying/harassment of a coworker.

Illustriously, you do know, don't you, that there is an alternative to allowing sexist, bullying behaviour other than allowing people to drown. And it's an alternative that the vast majority of RNLI stations have no difficulty in finding.

As I understand it, there are thousands of volunteers working for the RNLI in various capacities. The behaviour of a couple of them was reported as bullying, sexism etc and the RNLI has investigated and consequently responded robustly and dealt with it. The volunteers can appeal this decision. This is all as it should be in any organisation, voluntary or not.

If people really believe that's a good reason to stop donating, I'm gobsmacked. I suggest you stay away from the coast if you disapprove of the RNLIs handling of this.

Ah got to love the quality of nuanced debate on AIBU

Sounds like it was considerably more than "just the mugs".
The RNLI Chief Executive has now released a statement:

You may have read a story about the RNLI in the Daily Mail on Saturday 12 May, which gave a one-sided and inaccurate version of recent incidents at our charity. We have been compelled to stand down a small number of volunteer lifeboat crew members, and the article suggested that this is the result of staff at our headquarters becoming disconnected with our volunteers on the coast.

Now, I expect our organisation to be held to account by the media. In fact, I welcome external scrutiny. But that scrutiny should be fair and balanced. This article was not fair and balanced. It included comments from a small number of former crew aiming to discredit the RNLI, as well as unattributed quotes that can’t be verified. What was not reported in this article – or in other similar reports – is our side of the story. As an emergency service, we must adhere to the very highest standards of safety and behave in a way that would be expected of a modern emergency responder. And as a charity, we take our ethical and legal responsibilities very seriously. The examples mentioned in the national press recently have involved serious incidents that we were duty-bound to challenge.

We do not stand volunteers down lightly. We recognise the years of dedication and the skill involved in becoming a crew member, helm or coxswain. We fully understand and respect the close bond and camaraderie of our crew and other volunteers.

But there are some behaviours we will not tolerate. We simply cannot allow lifeboats to be taken for joyrides in rough weather without full crew. We don’t accept that hardcore, graphic pornography has any place at a lifeboat station. We will not tolerate threats of violence towards our volunteers or staff. And we will not stand for bullying or aggressive behaviour.

I am relieved to report that such incidents are comparatively rare. The recent issues involve less than 1% of our 6,000 operational volunteers. We are proud of our brave, decent men and women dedicated to saving lives and committed to acting with integrity.

We are also proud of using the donations we receive in the right way. It costs £180M a year to run the RNLI and the Charity Commission advises that, if fundraising stopped today, we should have enough in the bank to keep running our crucial service for between 6–12 months. We also need to ensure we have enough surplus funds for planned capital expenditure over the next few years – the ongoing upgrade of our fleet and the provision of new lifeboat stations.

So I want to assure you that we continue to be a charity that can be trusted to do the right thing – whether that’s rescuing those in peril, keeping our volunteers safe, or making sure that supporters like you are welcomed and valued. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, we’ve aspired to be a decent, honourable charity that is respectful of others. I don’t think we should settle for anything other than that.

I hope you agree and I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read our side of the story. Please do share it with your family and friends so that they get a balanced view. It’s been a tough week for the RNLI, but with the courage and support of our people – people like you – we’ll continue to save lives, just as we always have.

Paul Boissier
RNLI Chief Executive

PS. For a more detailed response to the article’s inaccuracies, take a look at our Q and A, which sets the facts straight.

Thanks for posting that, Tanith , it makes a lot more sense than the Mail version.
Look at the problems men have caused for some other charities, I'm pleased the RNLI took the problem seriously.