Added 12 August 2008

TGWU/Unite survey of Staff 2008.

Click here for more information and for the link to the survey. Deadline 1 September 2008.

Added: 6 August 2008

Activists Training in Summer recess

The Union has agreed to put on training courses for branch members in the House of Commons in the summer recess. Issues to be covered include grievance and disciplinary hearings and health and safety matters. Please email/phone the branch secretary (Kevin Flack: flackk@parliament.uk  ext 6273) if you would like to come along – no previous involvement required.

Added 5 July 2008

T&GWU (Unite) Parliamentary Staff Branch
brief on Motion on Members’ Expenses for Debate 3 July 2008

2 July 2008

To signatories of EDM 1057,

Thank you for signing EDM 1057, which calls on the House Authorities to look at ways in which the T&G (Unite) Parliamentary Staff Branch could gain consultation rights.

This briefing sets out the views of the branch on the motion on Members’ Expenses to be discussed on Thursday. We ask that members of Parliament use this briefing to consider making contributions to the debate on 3 July in order that the opinions of staff may be heard.

Our branch has over 400 members of Parliamentary and constituency staff. We believe that it is in the interests of MPs and constituents as well as staff that our members should be better rewarded for the work they do.

Contents of this briefing:

i)   What the motion says

ii)  The branch’s submission to the MEC

iii)  Points our branch would like raised in the debate

iv)  Contact details for our branch.

To read the full briefing click here (Word document)

Added: 18 June 2008

Recognition Campaign - Why the branch is campaigning for official recognition:

• The House of Commons should be setting an example of good employee relations.
• The only thing stopping the branch from being recognised in the past is the complexity of being jointly employed by MPs and the House authorities. House of commons staff have recognition, and senior Government ministers have said there is no reason we should not be recognised.
• Recognition would set out the rights the branch and its members now get on an ad hoc basis. The status quo is damaging to MPs and staff because staff representation is ad hoc and patchy.
• Over 100 MPs have signed EDM 1057 which asks for more consultation rights for the branch.

The T&G (Unite) Parliamentary Staff Branch have written to the GMB
to complain about their attack on MPs staff.

• The GMB Congress Advised House Of Commons Authorities To Abolish the Members’ Allowance Expenditure Schedule
• Brian Strutton, GMB National Secretary for Public Services told delegates: "MPs continue to flick through their posh shop catalogues to work out what allowances they can claim on top of their generous salaries – and it seems not a week goes by without another story that smacks of greed and milking the system."
• Kevin Flack, T&G (Unite) Parliamentary Staff Branch secretary, said, "who do the GMB think it is that answers the phone to their members when they take a problem to their MP? Who draft the letters and make enquiries on their behalf? It has taken years to get a decent staffing allowance for MPs, which is ring-fenced and can't be used for other purposes. It is sad to see such uninformed comments from a fellow trade union."
• Robert Atkinson a Caseworker who is changing his membership from the GMB to the T&G Parliamentary Staff Branch said: "I am pleased I will be a member of a union that understands that MPs staff do an important public service job."
• Another caseworker who is switching from GMB to Unite, Robin, said: ““Of course I don’t condone the misuse of Parliamentary expenses but our trade unions really should back up MPs office staff, the vast majority of whom work extremely hard, putting in long hours for low pay. The GMB seem to be moving away from representing their members and instead joining the opportunist tabloid bandwagon attacking all MPs offices”
• Unite is now taking this up with the GMB at a national level.

Some of the inaccuracies in the GMB press release:

• Members staff costs are ring-fenced, (not part of an open-ended system as said by the GMB).
• House Authorities do not make decisions about changes to the system of allowances, parliament does.
• The press release justifies the GMBs proposals saying Tory MP Caroline Spellman's payment of a nanny "should not be an allowable claim". However, this is why it is being investigated by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.