Okay D n' D - my experience was based on working in Central London. I remember well when we transitioned from a simple laminated card with a pawnbrokers symbol on it to a photo ID - I think it was in shortly after I joined , so around 1981. Maybe in a TA Med rgt your AO permanent staff has indeed been waiting 20 years for an ID card. He/she probably doesn't have to visit other establishments that much? So a local anomaly, which the old HQ Sy1 team would be all over like a rash.
As other posters have said above, a lot of MoD CS are either ex-services ( RO1's and RO2's in old money) or serving Reservists, as I was for 17 of the 32 years I was CS.
The ''Equivalent rank' thing is just a courtesy. It means that the Grade 5 (B1) responsible for answering to
Ministers for the actions of the Director of the Army Estate Organisation - a 1 star - can have a chat with him in the Mess over a bite to eat, if need be, before composing the latest cop-out for Main Bldg.
( Mess membership is open to MoD CS above EO, not compulsory.)
The idea that a newly joined AO has the same knowledge and experience as a senior WO2 is , of course, cobblers.
(On the other hand, a lot of SNCO's have no idea how to deal with their non-service counterparts. There used to be a one day course on it !)
Nice rant - we there yet?