Author Archives: Neil

Unite’s Community Youth Workers and Not for Profit sector is having a lobby of Parliament this Tuesday 25 October on the need to protect youth services. Full details of the lobby at Methodist Central Hall are available on this flyer. At 3pm there will be a photo op during a ‘silent disco’ in Old Palace Yard and it would be great to have a good turn out from the Parliamentary … Continue reading →

We are delighted that the union branch’s proposal to introduce a catering discount/loyalty scheme for MPs’ staff has got the go-ahead, after the House of Commons Commission backed the proposal in their response to the House Administration Committee’s report into catering service which was published this week. Back in May in its report on catering and retail services in the House of Commons, the House Administration Committee recommended the introduction of … Continue reading →

CAMRA have kindly agreed to once again hold a social with the union branch from 6pm Thursday 20 October in Parliament. There will be some excellent real ale and a raffle with some great prizes too. More details will be posted later – I believe work is also going into getting some good cheese. If you aren’t already a member of CAMRA or the union branch, then this is a … Continue reading →

For those of you who weren’t able to make the Low Pay Commission’s (LPC) oral evidence session on interns and the National Minimum Wage, there’s still time to submit your views and experiences in writing. With the Government currently considering new guidance on unpaid work and the National Minimum Wage, and planning to instruct HMRC to target unpaid work in the autumn, now is a good time to remind the … Continue reading →

This Sunday is the 75th anniversary of Cable St and the branch will be having an outing to take part in the march and rally. Assemble for the march at 11.30am Aldgate East (junction of Braham Street and Leman Street) or join the rally at 1.00pm St Georges in the East Park (Cable Street). There will be some great trade union speakers at the rally, including: Max Levitas Battle of … Continue reading →

Below is an article from Branch Chair Max Freedman, originally posted on the Unions21 website: Parliament is an intimidating workplace for your first job. There are over 2000 people who work for MPs, and for many of them, it is their first job after leaving university. Turnover is high and staff typically work in an office of 2-3 people or fewer without obvious opportunities to meet and socialise with staff … Continue reading →

The branch will be hosting the Parliamentary launch of a new satirical book ‘The Coalition Chronicles’ by The Thick of It’s legendary ‘swearing consultant’ Ian Martin from 6:30pm Tue 13 Sep in the Red Lion pub. The book will be available to buy below RRP at just a tenner and Ian will be there to sign copies. If you’re lucky you might be able to get a Malcolm Tucker-style dedication … Continue reading →

*Unfortunately we’ve had to cancel the quiz as the two by-elections have affected numbers. However, we’ll reschedule for after the Party conferences* Branch members and friends are invited to a pub quiz to celebrate the end of the 2 week sitting in September. It will be held from 6:30pm on the 15th Sep upstairs at the Two Chairman pub, near Trafalgar Square. The full address is 1 Warwick House St, … Continue reading →

Our Secretary Louise Haigh is currently doing a Masters in Law at Birbeck University on the vulnerability of agency workers in UK employment law and their experiences with trade unions. If you’ve ever been an agency worker she’d be grateful if you’d take a couple of minutes to complete this short survey. An article she has written for the Unite Scotland website is reposted below to explain why she is conducting the research: … Continue reading →

The Adam Afriyie-led Committee on Members’ Expenses is to review the operation of the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009, which established IPSA. The branch will be submitting a response on behalf of our members who have been affected by the Act. Please forward your comments and evidence to lauren.edwards@unitepsbranch.org by Monday 29 August. In particular the committee will consider how to ensure: value for money for taxpayers accountability public confidence in … Continue reading →