Tag: 2023

PRESS RELEASE : Independent watchdog criticises government for failing to produce impact assessment for new anti-strike curbs [January 2023]
The press release issued by the TUC on 16 January 2023.
- TUC warns MPs are “voting blind” following government failure to publish impact assessment for anti-strikes bill
A government-appointed body has today (Monday) criticised the government for failing to provide MPs with an impact assessment on its new Minimum Service Level bill, which is in parliament for its second reading today.

If passed, the bill will mean that when workers democratically and lawfully vote to strike in health, education, fire, transport, border security and nuclear decommissioning, they can be forced to work and sacked if they don’t comply.

The TUC has slammed the “draconian legislation” as “an attack on the fundamental right to strike”.

In a statement, the Regulatory Policy Committee – a group of independent experts brought together by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to examine the impact of regulation on business and civil society – said:

Government departments are expected to submit IAs to the RPC before the relevant bill is laid before Parliament and in time for the RPC to issue an opinion alongside the publication of the IA.

An IA for this Bill has not yet been submitted for RPC scrutiny; nor has one been published despite the Bill being currently considered by Parliament.

The TUC has accused the government of attempting to “railroad through” the new controversial legislation without proper consultation or scrutiny.

The TUC is calling on MPs of all parties to reject this spiteful legislation, which it says is “shortcutting” normal scrutiny procedures.

New sweeping powers

The bill gives ministers “sweeping new powers” to impose new minimum service levels through regulation – which could come into force as early as this summer.

But consultations on how these regulations will work have not been published, and parliamentarians have been given no detail on how minimum service levels are intended to operate – and the government has not yet published an impact assessment for the bill.

The TUC says the new legislation will “do nothing” to solve the current disputes across the public sector.

The impact assessment for the previous transport bill, published in Autumn but now superseded by the current legislation, warns that minimum service levels could poison industrial relations – leading to more frequent industrial action.

And the Government has failed to produce a fresh impact assessment for the new bill, which will cover a wider range of sectors.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:

“It’s shameful that MPs are being asked to vote blind on a bill that will have far-reaching consequences for millions of workers.

“The government is deliberately railroading through this spiteful legislation to avoid proper parliamentary scrutiny.

“Make no mistake – this bill is a fundamental attack on the right to strike that will force workers across the public sector to cross picket lines or face the sack.

“And it will do nothing to solve the current disputes across the economy – but only make matters worse.

“This draconian legislation is undemocratic, unworkable and almost certainly illegal.

“Workers are facing a living standards emergency. With inflation running at over 10%, the last thing they need is for ministers to make it harder to secure better pay and conditions.

“This is a naked power grab – no matter how ministers try and spin it.

“Instead of scheming up new ways to attack the right to strike, ministers should get pay rising across the economy – starting with a decent pay rise for workers across the public sector.”
February 5, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : TUC accuses government of attempting to “steamroller” through “draconian” bill to attack the right to strike [January 2023]
The press release issued by the TUC on 16 January 2023.
- Spiteful legislation is a “full-frontal attack” on the right to strike, says TUC
- Government “shortcutting” scrutiny with new bill, union body warns
The TUC has accused the government of attempting to “steamroller” through new draconian legislation which attacks the fundamental right to strike without proper consultation or scrutiny.

The minimum service levels bill is back in parliament today (Monday) for its second reading, and would give ministers sweeping new powers that restrict the right to strike.

If passed, it will mean that when workers democratically and lawfully vote to strike in health, education, fire, transport, border security and nuclear decommissioning, they can be forced to work and sacked if they don’t comply.

The TUC is calling on MPs of all parties to reject this spiteful legislation, which it says is “shortcutting” normal scrutiny procedures.

The bill gives ministers power to impose new minimum service levels through regulation. But consultations on how these regulations will work have not been published, and parliamentarians have been given no detail on how minimum service levels are intended to operate – and the government has not yet published an impact assessment for the bill.

The TUC says the new legislation will “do nothing” to solve the current disputes across the public sector, and “only make matters worse”.

The impact assessment published in Autumn alongside the government’s previous Bill, aiming to set minimum service levels in transport, shows how minimum service levels could poison industrial relations – lengthening disputes and leading to more frequent industrial action.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:

“This draconian bill is a full-frontal attack on the right to strike – and the government is trying to steamroller it through parliament, without proper consultation or scrutiny.

“This spiteful legislation would mean that when workers democratically vote to strike, they can be forced to work and sacked if they don’t comply.

“Make no mistake – this is undemocratic, unworkable and likely illegal.

“And it will do nothing to solve the current disputes across the economy – but only make matters worse.

“Workers are facing a living standards emergency. But with inflation running at over 10%, ministers are making it harder for working people to secure better pay and conditions.

“It’s time the government got its priorities straight.

“Instead of scheming up new ways to attack the right to strike, ministers should get pay rising across the economy – starting with a decent pay rise for workers across the public sector.”
February 5, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Holding down pay is putting our economy in a doom loop, says TUC [January 2023]

The press release issued by the TUC on 13 January 2023.

Commenting on today’s (Friday) GDP data, which shows growth declining 0.3 per cent in the three months to November, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:

“People’s living standards have already plummeted. And now falling GDP is putting jobs and businesses at risk. But there is little sign that Rishi Sunak’s government has any kind of plan to get our economy quickly back to growth.

“We urgently need workers to have more spending power to help the UK bounce back from decline. But instead, ministers are going all out to hold down pay. That’s only going to make a bad situation worse and keep us in a doom loop.”

February 5, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Our right to strike is under attack [February 2023]

The press release issued by the TUC on 10 January 2023.

This government has gone from clapping key workers to threatening them with the sack if they take lawful action for a pay rise. That’s wrong and almost certainly illegal. We need to take action now.

Rishi Sunak has detailed his anti-union legislation and plans to introduce new laws in the coming weeks.

It means that when workers democratically vote to strike, they could be forced to work and sacked if they don’t. That’s wrong, unworkable, and almost certainly illegal.

These new laws are a direct attack on working people’s fundamental right to strike to defend their pay, terms and conditions.

Instead of listening to the concerns of working people and negotiating fair deals, Rishi Sunak has decided to undermine the right to strike.

Every working person is under attack from these new laws.

Add your name and join the campaign. We must defend the right to strike.

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to hurt workers everywhere, we need to be able to stand together and choose to strike when we must. These laws will do nothing to fix this crisis – they will make it even harder for working people to get pay rises.

The change we need will not come from a petition, but if tens of thousands sign today it will show how many of us are ready to fight these unjust laws.

February 5, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Attacking the right to strike does nothing to resolve current disputes [January 2023]

The press release issued by the TUC on 5 January 2023.

Responding to today’s (Thursday) attack on the right to strike to defend workers’ pay and conditions, the TUC has said that the Prime Minister should concentrate on fixing our public services, not attacking public sector staff.

The union body says that the proposed legislation would make it harder for disputes to be resolved.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:

“This is an attack on the right to strike. It’s an attack on working people. And it’s an attack on one of our longstanding British liberties.

“It means that when workers democratically vote to strike, they can be forced to work and sacked if they don’t. That’s wrong, unworkable, and almost certainly illegal.

“The announcement offers nothing more to help with this year’s pay and the cost of living crisis.

“The only offer of talks is for next year. But we need to resolve the current disputes and boost the pay of public sector workers now.

“The Prime Minister said yesterday his door is always open – if he’s serious, he should prove it. He should take up my offer to get around the table to improve this year’s pay and end the current disputes.

“There is a world of difference between promises of jam tomorrow with technical discussions about pay review bodies, and proper negotiations on pay in the here and now.

“Our public services are already deep in a staffing crisis. But this government has gone from clapping key workers to threatening them with the sack if they take lawful action for a pay rise. It will only push more people away from essential jobs in public services, harming the whole nation.”

On the trade union campaigning to defend the right to strike, Paul added:

“Trade unions will fight this every step of the way. We’re inviting every worker – public and private sector, and everyone who wants to protect British liberties -to be a part of our campaign to defend the right to strike.”

February 5, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : New TUC leader calls for urgent meeting with Rishi Sunak to help resolve public sector disputes [January 2023]
The press release issued by the TUC on 3 January 2023.

TUC head calls on PM to change approach, and urges ministers to work constructively with unions
Paul Nowak says staffing crises in health and education will get worse unless public service staff get a fair pay deal

Nowak is ready to “clear his diary” to find a resolution

The new General Secretary of the TUC Paul Nowak has today (Wednesday) called for an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister and a change in government direction that permits ministers to open pay negotiations with unions to resolve disputes.

In a letter to Rishi Sunak, Nowak highlights the need for urgent pay negotiations:

“Our public services are in crisis after years of underfunding and understaffing. We can’t solve these problems without a fair deal for the people on the frontline.

“Every month experienced employees are quitting, with one in three public service staff now taking steps to leave their professions or actively considering it.

“This is simply unsustainable.

“But we cannot fix the staffing crisis in our schools, hospitals and elsewhere if we do not fix the underlying causes.

“That means talking in an open and constructive way about improving public sector pay. But so far your ministers have refused to negotiate directly about pay with unions.”

Highlighting the need for the government to change approach, Nowak says:

“Unions worked closely with you during the pandemic to deliver the furlough scheme and to protect millions of jobs.

“That’s the kind of mature approach we need now.

“Unions have already made clear their willingness to sit down with the government and talk about boosting pay. But while your ministers continue to refuse point blank to discuss improving wages, there can be no resolution.

“In the NHS, for example, appropriate structures already exist to allow the immediate start of pay negotiations involving health unions, employers and ministers. This was exactly what happened in 2018, leading to the three-year wage deal.

“We want to find a resolution to the current disputes so our public service staff can get on with doing the jobs they love. And so our public services can start to improve for everyone who relies on them.”
Editors note

The full letter reads:

Dear Prime Minister.

I’m writing to you today to ask for an urgent meeting.

Public sector workers don’t want to be out on strike this winter. They care passionately about their vocations and the communities they serve.

But they have been left with no choice.

Ambulance staff, physiotherapists, teachers and millions of others have seen their living standards decimated by over a decade of pay cuts and wage freezes.

And with inflation north of 10 per cent, they simply cannot afford another real-terms pay cut.

Our public services are in crisis after years of underfunding and understaffing. We can’t solve these problems without a fair deal for the people on the frontline.

Every month experienced employees are quitting, with one in three public service staff now taking steps to leave their professions or actively considering it.

This is simply unsustainable.

But we cannot fix the staffing crisis in our schools, hospitals and elsewhere if we do not fix the underlying causes.

That means talking in an open and constructive way about improving public sector pay. But so far your ministers have refused to negotiate directly about pay with unions.

Unions worked closely with you during the pandemic to deliver the furlough scheme and to protect millions of jobs.

That’s the kind of mature approach we need now.

Unions have already made clear their willingness to sit down with the government and talk about boosting pay. But while your ministers continue to refuse point blank to discuss improving wages, there can be no resolution.

In the NHS, for example, appropriate structures already exist to allow the immediate start of pay negotiations involving health unions, employers and ministers. This was exactly what happened in 2018, leading to the three-year wage deal.

We want to find a resolution to the current disputes so our public service staff can get on with doing the jobs they love. And so our public services can start to improve for everyone who relies on them.

I urge with you to meet with us as soon as possible and allow your ministers to adopt new approaches to resolving the public sector pay disputes.

Paul Nowak – TUC General Secretary

– TUC polling published in the autumn revealed that around one third of key workers in the public sector (32%) have already taken steps to leave their profession to get a job in another field or are actively considering it.

– About the TUC: The Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We bring together the 5.5 million working people who make up our 48 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living.
February 5, 2023
Liz Truss – 2023 Article Reflecting on Her Time as Prime Minister

A small section of the article written by Liz Truss, the former Conservative Prime Minister, in the Sunday Telegraph published on 5 February 2023.

The date of what inevitably became known as the mini-Budget was set for Sept 23. In hindsight, perhaps we could have delayed it for a few days. However, much longer than that would have meant not sticking to our commitments.

There were concerns in some quarters that the announcement would not be accompanied by forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). However, the OBR’s core purpose is to produce twice-yearly forecasts on whether the Government is on track to meet its fiscal targets. Commissioning a report at that juncture would not have been appropriate, given that the forecast would have been unable to take into consideration the future spending decisions we planned to outline in the Medium Term Fiscal Plan a few weeks later.

It’s also worth recalling that no OBR forecast has accompanied many other fiscal announcements, not least the Covid-19 furlough scheme, which cost £70 billion.

As I had spelled out during the leadership campaign, I wanted to go for growth by reversing the proposed rises to corporation tax and National Insurance and implementing a programme of economic reform in order to prevent recession and stagnation and put the UK on a positive path.

But this was not in line with the instinctive views of the Treasury or the wider orthodox economic ecosystem.

I saw first-hand during my two years as chief secretary to the Treasury that pessimism and scepticism about the growth potential of the British economy are sadly endemic at the Treasury: serious planning reform was dismissed as not politically deliverable; discussing monetary policy was a taboo; deregulation of financial services and other industries was viewed as undermining the prospects of a deal with the EU; and Brexit was seen as a damage-limitation exercise rather than a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

Instead, the focus from the Treasury was on micro, top-down tinkering such as productivity initiatives trying to encourage firms to become more efficient, along with government intervention.

Our Plan for Growth was a conscious break from this orthodoxy – focused instead on stimulating competition and economic freedom with incentives from the ground up. The plan comprised the energy package, reversing the tax rises, some additional tax simplification measures, and a package of economic reforms to help grow the economy and build long-term gains in its growth potential.

February 5, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Business Secretary calls on suppliers to put consumers first [February 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 5 February 2023.

Grant Shapps is to give energy suppliers a deadline to urgently report back on remedial action for customers who faced wrongful prepayment meter installations.
- Business Secretary gives energy suppliers deadline to urgently report back on remedial action for customers who faced wrongful installations
- This follows damning reports earlier this week highlighting what appear to be breaches of rules and regulations to protect vulnerable households
- Energy regulator Ofgem also asked to toughen up their investigations after they failed to find serious failings by British Gas
Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps has today given energy bosses a deadline of Tuesday to report back to him on what remedial action – such as providing compensation – they plan to take should they have wrongfully installed prepayment meters in the homes of vulnerable customers.

It comes in the wake of British Gas admitting fault as a result of the Times investigation which showed even those with small children or medical conditions have not been shown forbearance, with reports of debt collectors breaking into homes to install the equipment.

But these findings by The Times newspaper follow several reviews by Ofgem of the services provided by energy suppliers, which have not identified this unacceptable behaviour – or other significant shortcomings – and have in some cases even given companies a clean bill of health.

Therefore the Business Secretary has today told Ofgem to toughen up on energy suppliers and investigate the customers’ experience of how their supplier is performing.

He called on the regulator to set up a new customer reporting system for households to pass on their own stories of how they are being treated – especially those who are vulnerable – and not just rely on energy firm bosses to share information with their regulator.

Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps said:

“ I am appalled that vulnerable customers struggling with their energy bills have had their homes invaded and prepayment meters installed when there is a clear duty on suppliers to provide them with support. They need to refocus their efforts on their consumers, the British public, who are at the receiving end of this abhorrent behaviour.

“ I’m also concerned the regulator is too easily having the wool pulled over their eyes by taking at face value what energy companies are telling them. They need to also listen to customers to make sure this treatment of vulnerable consumers doesn’t happen again.”

News reports across the country have highlighted examples of the forced installation of prepayment meters in the homes of those who are struggling to pay their bills.

The regulator has also been asked to toughen up their reviews, going beyond the company headquarters to find out what is really happening in people’s homes by hearing from them directly and engaging more with charities and other groups that represent consumers.

Currently, energy suppliers are required to provide Ofgem with information to demonstrate how they comply with the rules on supporting vulnerable consumers, on customers struggling to pay and on the fitting of prepayment meters.

The Business Secretary wants to see the voices of consumers and those who champion their needs heard when deciding which energy companies are meeting expectations – with a customer reporting hotline being just one example we would want the regulator to consider.

On Thursday night a number of suppliers announced they would suspend forced installations after being pushed by Ofgem to pause the practice while they reassure the regulator they’re complying with the rules.

However, just over a week ago the Business Secretary launched a crackdown on the mistreatment of energy users by suppliers, already asking them to voluntarily commit to stopping this practice. He also demanded they share the number of warrants they’ve applied for in recent months and plans to publish the findings.

Earlier this week the Energy and Climate Minister also met British Gas CEO Chris O’Shea and expressed his horror at recent reports. He made it clear this kind of behaviour is unacceptable, especially from such a key and longstanding British company.

He urged Mr O’Shea to take urgent steps to repair the damage done to British Gas’ reputation and urgently come back to him outlining the role he will personally take to fix these cultural issues.

The British Gas boss was also told by the Minister that vulnerable, mistreated customers need to be identified and redress provided. He will be monitoring matters extremely closely to make sure this happens.
February 5, 2023
Elliot Colburn – 2023 Parliamentary Question on Prosecution Rates for Domestic Abuse

The parliamentary question asked by Elliot Colburn, the Conservative MP for Carshalton and Wallington, in the House of Commons on 1 February 2023.

Elliot Colburn (Carshalton and Wallington) (Con)

What steps she is taking to help increase the rate of prosecutions for domestic abuse.

The Attorney General (Victoria Prentis)

We are committed to increasing the volume of prosecutions and supporting more victims. We enacted new provisions to increase the time that victims have to report domestic abuse offences to ensure that we bring more offenders to justice.

Elliot Colburn

Despite Carshalton and Wallington being a relatively safe part of London, domestic violence rates there are higher than the London average. Local charities such as Sutton Women’s Centre do a great job in training people to spot the signs, but what assurance can the Attorney General give me that CPS staff have access to that same training to bring that level of crime down?

The Attorney General

I thank Sutton Women’s Centre for its fantastic work in training the community to spot the signs of domestic abuse. All prosecutors in London are now domestic abuse trained. Close working with the police should continue to increase the rate of prosecutions.

February 4, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Rishi Sunak call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine [February 2023]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 4 February 2023.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to President Zelenskyy this afternoon.

The leaders discussed the latest situation on the ground in Ukraine and the Prime Minister said he was focussed on ensuring the UK’s defensive military equipment reached the front line as quickly as possible.

As part of that effort, Ukrainian soldiers had already begun training on Challenger 2 tanks in the UK this week, the Prime Minister added.

Both leaders agreed that it was vital that international partners accelerated their assistance to Ukraine to help seize the opportunity to push Russian forces back, as well as looking at how they could support the long term capability of Ukraine’s armed forces.

The greatest weapon in Ukraine’s arsenal was the collective international unity in support of Ukraine, the leaders agreed.

The Prime Minister said he had met Ukrainian troops training in the UK last week, and was inspired by their courage and the stories of their loved ones back home. He added that they had paid tribute to President Zelenskyy’s strong leadership.

Discussing the lead up to the one year anniversary of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, both leaders agreed on the importance of UN partners once again demonstrating their solidarity with Ukraine.

They agreed to stay in close touch.

February 4, 2023