h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Reading a bit about the TA over the last couple of months and I wonder if Ask can provide me with a couple of answers?

As I understand it, there is about to be a(nother) huge wave of redundancies to "streamline" the military.

The TA is to be renamed as the Reserve.

Ex-Military are to be encouraged to join the reserves (so the govt can save money on training etc)

Employers are to be encouraged to employ the reservists even though they will be called on now more than ever.

So. Here are the questions.
1) if you are unemployed (regular job) but are a reservist likely to be called up at any moment - are you judged to be available for work (and elligible for benefits) or not available for work?

2) Which companies do we really think will be "patriotic" enough to go for it?

3) If the firefighters go on strike (or the ambulance drivers) and the military - the reservists - are called in to replace them. But one of the reservists is a striking firefighter/ambulance driver, where does he stand if he:
a) requests not to be made to cross the picket line
or
b) crosses the picket line in his capacity as a reservist?

Interesting questions to which I have no answer sadly.

I do recall a student of mine a few years back who want to do reserve (TA) training on Wednesday evenings once a month. In our research group we have always had group meetings (a weekly discussion of our science and other issues) at this time.
Them being sacrosanct and everything, the boss was not impressed and the guy nearly had to leave on day 1. In the end he quit the TA due to the pressure from the boss.

The boss is Swiss and was forced into national service when he was younger and hated every moment of it. Hence he has a very negative view of all that sort of thing.

So there's one guy who definitely won't be being 'patriotic'. Although he's Swiss so I suppose that's OK I suppose.

1. If you're a reservist you are available for work. Been there, done it. The massively increased likelihood of being called up compared to when I was in is not, I think, relevant. The TA remains, for the purposes of employment benefit calculations, a hobby.

2. Large companies will go for it as part of their commitments to social responsibility. When I joined up I was unemployed. I later secured a job with the local water company. I was informed on being hired that even though I was on a temporary short term contract, I was entitled to take two weeks off for my annual training camp and that this time would NOT be deducted from my leave entitlement. That said, when I did actually go on the annual camp and was hurt so badly I couldn't walk for three months, I lost the job, so, y'know, swings and roundabouts. I did end up in a much better job, so, result.

Smaller companies are likely to struggle to accommodate, and while they're legally obliged to do so in reality, in this economy, would anyone really want to take the chance of annoying their employer?

3. Firefighters I know are a pragmatic bunch. If in the event of a strike one of their colleagues was required by lawful order of a superior officer of the armed forces to which they'd pledged allegiance to cross a picket line, I think they'd understand. Crucially, he'd be crossing that line in an army uniform, not a fire service one. That's what would, or should, make the difference.