The RNLI has said a piece which claims it is at war with its lifeboat crews is unfair and one-sided
A lifesaving charity has hit back at the Daily Mail over claims it is at war with its volunteers.
An article by the tabloid paper claimed that the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is drowning its volunteers in a ‘sea of political correctness’, and said that the charity is in dispute with several of its UK crews.
The story highlighted several alleged incidents of the charity falling out with crew members.
These included the cases of the St Helier lifeboat crew, who relaunched as the Jersey Lifeboat Association after a fallout with the RNLI, the sacking of crew members in Arbroath over complaints about behaviour at a party with Dutch lifeboatmen, and members in Whitby being sacked for exchanging mugs which were deemed obscene.
However the RNLI took to social media at the weekend to complain about the nature of the article, highlighting that the Mail had not included a statement provided or taken up the opportunity to interview three representatives of the charity.
A spokesman described the article as a one-sided and unfair.
“The RNLI is a unique organisation,” the spokesman said. “As an emergency service, we must adhere to the very highest standards of safety and behave in a way that meets the expectations of a modern emergency responder. And as a charity, we take our ethical and legal responsibilities very seriously. The examples you have read about 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. We know that friendly banter is a key part of this.
“But to be clear – we simply will not tolerate lifeboats being taken for joyrides in rough weather without full crew. We don’t accept that hard core, graphic pornography has any place at a lifeboat station. We will not tolerate threats of violence towards our volunteers or staff. We will not stand for bullying or aggressive behaviour.”
The article, by journalists Guy Adams and Richard Marsden, also called into question RNLI’s fundraising.
It said: “To have mass resignations at one lifeboat station might be considered unfortunate, but to suffer at least seven such cases in a period of around 18 months is somewhat more worrying.
“One possible explanation to the situation is, ironically, that the RNLI has become too popular for its own good — at least when it comes to fundraising.
“The charity has enjoyed near-universal support since its foundation in 1824. In addition to substantial public donations, sailing enthusiasts often leave the organisation a large bequest when they die.”
The charity said that the recent issues reported in the press involved less than 1% of its 6,000 operational volunteers, and that operational changes had been implemented to protect volunteers.
The statement continued: “We have not got everything right during these changes, but we are working hard with all our volunteers to ensure they have the support and the training they require to operate a modern lifesaving service.
“But what hasn’t changed is our desire to uphold the values of the RNLI. We have to ask ourselves – what kind of charity do we want to be? What kind of charity do you want to volunteer for? What kind of charity do you want to support?”
