Is the IAM now more concerned with money than safety?
Discussion
Several worrying things have started to become apparent about the IAM.
I was at our local group committe meeting last night and several items under discussion gave me cause for concern.
1. "do we want to pay £35 to have our chief observer (currently has a RoSPA gold and IAM pass) tested to become a 'senior observer'?"
It seems that we give the IAM £35 and get absolutely nothing back for it apart from hassle.
The IAM say that it is the DSA pulling the strings here. The DSA say that it is nothing to do with them since observers are all volunteers, and are not paid.
I know £35 is not a lot, but paying out for nothing is no way to carry on. We can use the money better - it pays for at least another place on a skid pan course for instance.
2. This £25 assesment drive thing the IAM are offering seems a little strange. Our group has done this for free long before I even passed my L test! Note that the local group who carry out the paid-for assesment drive see very little, if anything, of the £25. So people now have to pay for something that was always free, and a good way of enticing in members?
3. Skills for life has wiped out our member intake. Quite simply, we are situated in a poor area of the country. The average yearly wage is about £15k, and apart from that we are actively trying to recruit 17/18 year olds who may still be at school, so have little spare cash. We simply don't get too many members willing and able to pay £85 up front. (I know that for many of us it's less than a week's petrol).
The IAM are not at all sympathetic to this, and don't seem to even try to understand the problem.
4. Various IAM representitives have told us that "We're doing it wrong, we should be putting people in for test sooner" and that "our pass rate is unfeasibly high". These statements don't make sense to me. Unless the IAM want more money in retests. Of course, this could be simply be people speaking out of turn.
5. At a recent regional meeting, our representitive had to remind the head office representaive that we are all volunteers. When it's not fun or it becomes too much like work (but without the salary), we are likely to go away. Many of the other volunteers seemed to agree.
This list is not exhaustive BTW, however I do want people to read the post!!
So, is the IAM (now IAM Ltd, isn't it) slowly becoming more concerned with profit than safety now? Or am I reading in to things that aren't there?
Thanks.
I was at our local group committe meeting last night and several items under discussion gave me cause for concern.
1. "do we want to pay £35 to have our chief observer (currently has a RoSPA gold and IAM pass) tested to become a 'senior observer'?"
It seems that we give the IAM £35 and get absolutely nothing back for it apart from hassle.
The IAM say that it is the DSA pulling the strings here. The DSA say that it is nothing to do with them since observers are all volunteers, and are not paid.
I know £35 is not a lot, but paying out for nothing is no way to carry on. We can use the money better - it pays for at least another place on a skid pan course for instance.
2. This £25 assesment drive thing the IAM are offering seems a little strange. Our group has done this for free long before I even passed my L test! Note that the local group who carry out the paid-for assesment drive see very little, if anything, of the £25. So people now have to pay for something that was always free, and a good way of enticing in members?
3. Skills for life has wiped out our member intake. Quite simply, we are situated in a poor area of the country. The average yearly wage is about £15k, and apart from that we are actively trying to recruit 17/18 year olds who may still be at school, so have little spare cash. We simply don't get too many members willing and able to pay £85 up front. (I know that for many of us it's less than a week's petrol).
The IAM are not at all sympathetic to this, and don't seem to even try to understand the problem.
4. Various IAM representitives have told us that "We're doing it wrong, we should be putting people in for test sooner" and that "our pass rate is unfeasibly high". These statements don't make sense to me. Unless the IAM want more money in retests. Of course, this could be simply be people speaking out of turn.
5. At a recent regional meeting, our representitive had to remind the head office representaive that we are all volunteers. When it's not fun or it becomes too much like work (but without the salary), we are likely to go away. Many of the other volunteers seemed to agree.
This list is not exhaustive BTW, however I do want people to read the post!!
So, is the IAM (now IAM Ltd, isn't it) slowly becoming more concerned with profit than safety now? Or am I reading in to things that aren't there?
Thanks.
We have 3 class 1s on the books. Training can be internal for us for zero cost. 
I concede the point about consistancy of training though.
We have good links with the local council and they plug us at their better driving courses... This helps with the "what's in it for me?" thing. I'm only just over 25 myself. I considered advanced training vital for purchasing a "fast" car.
The IAM are making it difficult for us to put in associates for test.
Tell me about IAM insurance! I run 2 rare grp 20 cars. They don't want to know... I raised this point at a regional meeting and got lots of support from members, but none from the head office people.
Don't get me started on Pass plus - it's a political game as far as I can see.
I concede the point about consistancy of training though.
We have good links with the local council and they plug us at their better driving courses... This helps with the "what's in it for me?" thing. I'm only just over 25 myself. I considered advanced training vital for purchasing a "fast" car.
The IAM are making it difficult for us to put in associates for test.
Tell me about IAM insurance! I run 2 rare grp 20 cars. They don't want to know... I raised this point at a regional meeting and got lots of support from members, but none from the head office people.
Don't get me started on Pass plus - it's a political game as far as I can see.
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