That this House recognises the hard work done by members of the Public and Commercial Services Union to deliver Government policies in the Civil Service and across the public sector; is concerned that the headcount reduction may be leading to deteriorating services; shares the union's concerns that those staff who wish to continue their career in the Civil Service or non-departmental public bodies (NDPB) should be able to do so; believes that there must be negotiation and agreement with trade unions before any further outsourcing or privatisation take place and that there needs to be measurable progress made towards a fair and cohesive Civil Service and NDPB pay system; and therefore urges the Government to negotiate with the union to achieve a mutually acceptable solution.
That this House recognises that free and independent trade unions are a force for good in UK society around the world and are vital to democracy; welcomes the positive role modern unions play in providing protection for working people and winning fairness at work; notes the 1906 Trades Disputes Act granted unions the legal freedom to take industrial action; regrets that successive anti-union legislation has meant that trade union rights are now weaker than those introduced by the 1906 Trades Disputes Act; therefore welcomes and supports the TUC campaign for a Trade Union Freedom Bill whose principles include better protection for workers, such as those sacked by Gate Gourmet in 2005, the simplification of ballot procedures and to allow limited supportive action, following a ballot, in specific circumstances; and therefore urges the Government to bring forward legislation to address these proposals.
That this House notes that under the terms of the London Underground Public Private Partnership (PPP) Tube Lines, a consortium of Amey and Bechtel and its multinational cleaning contractor, ISS, are responsible for cleaning trains and stations on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines and that since the introduction of the PPP Tube Lines has reported pre-tax profits of £150 million; is concerned that Tube Lines has ordered a substantial cut in the value of its station and train cleaning contract; further notes that this cut will mean the loss of 100 station cleaning jobs amounting to a 50 per cent. reduction in cleaning staff working on stations and bring additional pressure to bear on a poorly paid and vulnerable group of workers; and therefore supports the RMT campaign to reverse these cuts and urges Tube Lines and ISS to reconsider their plans.
Bill· Private Members' Bill (Ballot Bill)Bill 107open
Make provision for the law relating to the rights and freedoms of workers and of trade unions, the regulation of relations between employers and workers, protection of employment in lawful industrial action, and remedies in trade disputes; and for connected purposes.
That this House expresses its disgust at the obscene level of bonuses being paid this Christmas to speculators in the City of London; and calls on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to introduce a windfall tax on these payments in order to use that tax to cover the current deficits in NHS expenditure.
That this House expresses the hope that the forthcoming Kenyan elections will be free and fair and undertaken in a climate of peace and security; and calls upon the British Government to make it clear to the Kenyan people that it will do all it can to assist in the smooth transfer of power from the current administration and will bring forward practical measures to assist the incoming Government regenerate the Kenyan economy and tackle poverty and deprivation.
That this House urges the Government to do all it can to secure the release and safe return of Arjan Erkel who was kidnapped on 12th August whilst working as a volunteer on a Medecin Sans Frontieres medical aid programme in Daghestan, a republic of the Russian Federation.
That this House expresses its astonishment that ú500 million has already been spent on legal fees, consultants and accountants for the Government's plans for a public private partnership of the London Underground; and calls upon the Secretary of State for Transport to draw a halt to this scheme and any further waste of public resources of this kind.
That this House notes with extreme concern the report of the Northern Ireland Ombudsman into the bombing of Omagh on 15th August 1998; and calls upon the Government to establish an independent public inquiry into the failure of the leadership and Special Branch of the RUC to protect the people of Omagh from this atrocity.
That this House calls upon the Government to establish an independent, public inquiry, to be undertaken by international jurists, into the role of the RUC and British security forces in the murder of Patrick Finucane.
That this House condemns the massacre of 25 Sri Lankan youths on 25th October in Bindunuwewa whilst they were being held in military custody by the Sri Lankan Government; and calls for an international inquiry to be established with the support of the British Government to investigate these murders.
That this House welcomes the launch this week of the campaign by the Asian Women Prisoners Support Group and Asian Women Unite; which draws attention to the plight of Asian women in prison and the racism they experience.
That this House notes that in an endeavour to promote health issues throughout the island of Ireland, the British Medical Association and the Irish Medical Organisation will jointly host an All Ireland Health Conference on 22nd September in Ballyconnell, County Cavan, with representatives from the profession, government health departments, voluntary organisations, charities and research organisations; and congratulates the British Medical Association and Irish Medical Organisation for initiating this opportunity to demonstrate how people can work together on the island without fear or rancour for the good of all its people.
That this House considers that sufficient parliamentary time has been allocated to the City of London (Ward Elections) Bill; and calls upon the promoters of the Bill to withdraw this Bill in its current form and to resubmit proposals for a genuine democratic reform of the City of London Corporation.
That this House congratulates the London Unison nursing students who participated in Unison's nationwide campaign, Yes to Wages, No to Poverty, by sleeping out in an all-night vigil outside the Department of Health, Whitehall, on Tuesday 16th May; and expresses its support for Unison's call for an end to poverty wages, for the provision of safe and affordable housing and the rescinding of the cuts in travel claims for all nursing students.
That this House deplores the ongoing campaign of violent discrimination against the Dalits, who are born into the bottom of India's caste system; supports the Indian Government's continuing efforts to end caste discrimination through legislative initiatives such as the Prevention of Atrocities Act; expresses its concern at the apparent inability of the Indian judiciary to deal effectively with high-caste militia violence aimed specifically against Dalits, such as the Laxampur-Bathe massacre of 1st December 1997 which left 61 adults and children dead; urges the British Government to support the political and social development of the Dalit people through focused development programmes and closer contact with the Indian authorities; and welcomes the excellent contribution to this human rights campaign by the International Dalit Solidarity Network.
That this House expresses its strong concern at the arrest of London resident, Mr. Balbir Singh Bains by the Indian authorities, his subsequent detention for five days without the Police notifying his family, his continuing detention for 7 months without charge, the allegations of physical abuse in custody, and the numerous delays by the Indian Police in presenting evidence in court to justify his detention; and calls upon the British Government to make representations to the Indian Government on behalf of his distressed wife and children who are British citizens.
That this House calls for the release of Mr Satpal Ram who has now served 13 years in prison for killing in self-defence a racist who, with five accomplices, attacked Mr Ram, stabbing him twice and who died because he refused medical treatment; and further calls for an inquiry into the investigation and trial which resulted in this miscarriage of justice.