The branch of Unite that represents MPs’ staff celebrates its quarter century this year, but is still fighting to gain basic employment rights from the House of Commons.
More than 1,000 researchers and caseworkers have backed the call for trade union recognition, so there can be collective bargaining over the aspects of their employment that are controlled centrally.
At this year’s Labour Party conference, the branch is holding a rally: “Standing up for the 59 members of MPs’ staff paid below official pay scales”. The union is also highlighting the number of staff, currently 256, who do not have a contract of employment lodged with the parliamentary fees office.
This is a fight that began in 1983 when members of staff working for an MP either joined the Secretaries and Assistants Council or the T&G 1/128 Branch, chaired by Ray Collins, who is now general secretary of the Labour Party. There was then no contract of employment for MPs’ staff. The total staff allowance was £11,364, working conditions were poor and the hours were long. MPs could not afford to employ more than one member of staff and had barely enough to cover basic office equipment. Staff had no employment rights. MPs’ staff working in Parliament and who were members of the T&G 1/128 Branch felt that they had distinct needs and so established their own union branch, the T&G 1/427 Branch.
As this branch became established, Gill Morris became branch secretary and together with Janet Pickering, Rosie Winterton (deputy branch secretary), Mike Craven (deputy chair), Robbie MacDuff and others, embarked on a campaign lobbying their MPs and reporting to bad employment practices to their local Labour parties.
One of the main problems was that few MPs were prepared to support the branch in its efforts. Fortunately, there were some, in particular, Jeff Rooker, Max Madden and Ernie Ross, who worked hard to establish a liaison committee with the Parliamentary Labour Party.
The concept of a contract of employment met continued resistance from many MPs. However, after much lobbying, high-profile grievances and many people seeking to publicise the reality of working for an MP, the liaison committee and the branch forced through a motion to the PLP asking them to support a contract of employment for all MPs’ staff.
This small but significant victory led the way to major reform and the branch celebrated by commissioning its first banner, which was unfurled at the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth by then T&G general secretary Ron Todd.
The 1/427 Branch supported many rallies and marches and took particular inspiration from miners and their families during the great strike of the mid-1980s. It organised many activities on their behalf.
There was a strong affiliation with the Ellington branch of the National Union of Mineworkers and the local women’s support group. The branch organised trips to Ashington during the dispute, raised money as well as taking a coach full of gifts for Christmas. Branch chair Janet Pickering was made an honorary member of Northumberland NUM.
The next step forward for the branch was its successful campaign to increase the staffing allowance and introduce proper pay scales. The branch gave evidence to the House of Commons administration committee on working conditions and lobbied hard to secure an increase in the staffing allowance. It achieved another major victory in 1986 – with a 40 per allowance increase in the staffing allowance, which went up to £20,140.
At a review of MPs pay and allowances before the 1997 general election, the branch undertook a major survey of all members. A report, Democracy on the Cheap, was presented as evidence. Rebecca Milner and Angela Molloy were instrumental in compiling this
Following recommendations by the
Senior Salaries Review Body, the staff salary component of the MPs’ allowance was
ring-fenced and the fees office issued the pay scales which are used today. It was a significant move in the right direction.
In recent years, the branch, chaired by Joanne Milligan, has doubled its membership with the “Pay Up” campaign for staff wages to be increased automatically by the same percentage as the increase in staffing allowance.
Most recently, the branch has campaigned against the rule that allows MPs to jump the queue in the Commons cafeterias.
The branch continues with its campaign to gain official recognition and hopes that the expenses scandal will focus MPs’ minds on improving the way Parliament operates.
Current branch chair and secretary Dan Whittle and Kevin Flack gave evidence to Sir Christopher Kelly’s inquiry into MPs’ expenses at which argue they argued that how politicians treat their staff is an issue of standards and reform must be part of cleaning up Parliament.
The bid for union recognition is now a test of whether the new Speaker and members of the House of Commons Commission, including Leader of the House Harriet Harman, really support trade unionism and the employment rights of Parliament’s army of dedicated workers.
Gareth Myton and Louise Haigh are members of the Unite T&G Parliamentary Branch Executive
