Employment Rights

The debate on Employment Rights, started the day, and dealt with Composite 6  and motions 104-6 pp 73-74 in the final agenda document.  The debate is published on youtube. I have clipped the whole debate so that you can see/hear the  CEC reply to all four motions.

the platform at gmb26 in the blackpool wintergardens

Composite 6 Employment rights bill is on pp163-164 of the final agenda document. It argues that the compromises necessary to secure passage of the ERA were needed and necessary reforms and that further legislation is needed. Below/Overleaf are my speech notes and links to the motion texts. I also comment on two important topics, bullying and 3rd party removals.  …

Bye Bye Raab

Bye Bye Raab

Dominic Raab has had to resign from the government, due to an investigation into allegations of bullying having found that there was sufficient evidence to justify an adverse finding. Sorry about the complexity of that sentence, but he has not been found guilty, only that he has a case to answer. There was some question as to whether the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak would fire him or not. Raab saved him the problem by resigning in an extraordinary, apology free self-justifying resignation letter. There have been two parliamentary responses, the first is that the Liberal Democrats have rightly referred these events the parliamentary commissioner on standards, the second by some Tories that they rewrite the rules governing ministers’ behaviour towards civil servants.

The rest of this article, overleaf, looks what bullying is and the strange absence of its criminality. I also comment on the weakness of the parliamentary response. ...

Priti Patel and bullying

Priti Patel and bullying

The report by Prime Minister’s independent advisor on ministerial standards says she is and has been ever since she became a minister, Boris, after having tried to nobble the report, decides that intent is a relevant factor; it isn’t! The impact on its victims is the sole definitional fact that counts. Anyway, her ex-Permanent Secretary, Sir Philip Ruttnam, denies the mitigating factors and so will continue on his route to court. The investigating officer, the Prime Minister’s ex-independent advisor on ministerial standards, Sir Alex Allan has resigned.

It transpires that despite asking, Sir Alex was denied the opportunity to interview Sir Phillip, on legal grounds 🙄

This is not just about politics; bullying is endemic in London and was the single most common grievance I pursued as a Union rep until the post furlough redundancies. I hope the Civil Service unions take this up. …

Dignity and respect at work

I was writing a motion for GMB Congress on Bullying and came across this, from one of the ACAS codes, as part of the definition,

Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect at work

I thought that maybe there’s a human rights dimension so went to check out the European Convention on Human Rights since we are losing the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights which does include it. Nope! ECHR doesn’t! Well done! …