South African Mountaineering Development & Training Trust

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Complaints, Grievances and Appeals

The MDT respects the right of MDT registered candidates to complaint, or appeal or to lodging any other grievance that may arise due to such persons association with the MDT or any of its Service Providers. All such submissions must be reported within our quality assurance system and to ensure recognition of each case, submissions should be in writing and should include a request for confirmation of the lodging

Appeals Policy:

Candidates should respect the advice and experience of the Service Provider and avoid entering into dispute, that diverts valuable time away from the task at hand. However if a Candidate has a genuine grievance, they should explain what the problem is so a solution can be found and applied.

To an inexperienced person, a particular procedure in some training may appear to be risky or dangerous but in reality is conducted properly and diligently. It is this perception (or misunderstanding) that can lead to wrongly based complaints. The Service Provider typically possesses knowledge and skills at a level far above that of the Candidates. Any complaint based on safety issues must therefore be carefully weighed up and considered before embarking on any grievance action that in all probability will be proven to be baseless.

If there are any disputes, the Service Provider will try to resolve the problem by working towards a mutually agreeable solution. It is our policy to ensure that our Candidates are completely satisfied with the professionalism, course content and relevancy of the training and assessment.

If a solution on-site cannot be found, the candidate should implement the following procedure:

Grievance Procedure

Stage 1

The Candidate should approach the Service Provider and give verbal details of the grievance. The Service Provider will, within one (1) working day, respond verbally to the grievance and endeavour to satisfy the requirements of the Candidate.

Stage 2

Should the grievance not be resolved, the Service Provider shall, within one week, call a meeting of all parties involved to discuss the matter. The aim of the meeting will be to clarify all issues and reach a consensus on a satisfactory resolution of the problems as perceived by all parties. An agreed timetable will be drawn up to define time scales of actions required. Minutes will be taken and copied to all present.

Stage 3

Should the grievance still not be resolved within one week of the meeting referred to in stage 2, the matter must be referred to the MDT Administration.

If a Candidate wishes to lodge an appeal against a decision as referred to above or wishes to lodge an appeal against a Service Provider, the following procedures shall apply:

Appeals Procedure

Stage 1

Within seven (7) days, the Candidate must communicate the appeal to the MDT Administration in writing.

Stage 2

After informing its-self of the situation, the MDT will ask the appellant to formally present his/her case (in private if requested) to a panel appointed by the National Management Committee. A timetable for hearing the matter will be mutually agreed upon. If a face-to-face meeting is not possible, a telephone discussion or other electronic means may be used. Minutes of this process will be maintained.

Stage 3

After hearing full details of the grievance and considering evidence from both sides, the appellant will be notified in writing of the outcome within five (5) working days. The reason for the decision and corrective action stipulated will be disclosed.

Should there be sufficient evidence of wrongdoing on the part of a Service Provider, the MDT shall implement its Disciplinary procedure to fully investigate the matter further and make recommendations.

Copyright © South African Mountaineering Development & Training Trust
Last modified: 18 March 2010