The mobilisation process
Each of the four Volunteer Reserve Forces follows a strict process when it mobilises Reservists. The process includes notifying you and the Reservist of the date when they are required to report for duty and a period of pre-mobilisation training.
Volunteering for mobilisation
If a Reservist wants to volunteer for the intelligent selection process, they are responsible for telling you. They should have discussed this with you before making their application.
Notice of compulsory mobilisation
The Reserve Forces Act 1996 (RFA 96) gives no statutory requirement for a warning period prior to mobilisation. However, it is unlikely that a Reservist employee would be called out before you were generally aware of a situation that might demand it.The Services recognise that employers and Reservists need time to put their affairs in order before mobilisation. Subject to the severity and immediacy of the crisis, the Services aim to provide both you and the Reservist 28 days' notice of the date they are required to report for mobilisation.
What happens when a Reservist is mobilised
When a Reservist receives a call out notice, they are responsible for informing you as soon as practically possible.As part of the mobilisation process you should receive an information pack, which sets out the date and possible duration of mobilisation. It also explains your statutory rights and obligations - including the entitlement to apply for an exemption or deferral from mobilisation under certain circumstances.
Although the mobilisation process includes the issuing of an employers call out information pack as well as the Reservist's call out notice, the Reservist is still responsible for informing you that they have been called out.
The Reservist then reports to their mobilisation centre where they will undertake pre-mobilisation training, including a medical examination, before being accepted into full-time service. This whole process can take up to four weeks. They will then join a Regular Unit for the duration of their mobilised service. Towards the end of their mobilised service they will return to the mobilisation centre to be demobilised. After demobilisation, they are entitled to a period of leave. During this leave period, the Reservist will contact you to agree a date for their return to work.
Mobilisation of Civil Contingency Reaction Forces
The Civil Contingency Reaction Forces (CCRF) (see Types of Reservist) can be called up at very short notice, as little as 24 hours, but would only be mobilised for a relatively short period of time, probably no more than a couple of days.The authority for call-out of CCRFs is contained in the Reserve Forces Act 1996, which requires ministerial agreement before taking place. The rights of employers to claim financial assistance or apply for exemption are unaltered.
Given that the notice of call-out would be exceptionally short, members of CCRFs are expected to inform their employers in advance about this liability for call-out. As CCRFs would only be used in times of civil emergency, it is hoped that employers will be sympathetic towards any mobilisation as it will be directly supporting the welfare of the community.
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