Member News
Concerned MPs have backed an early day motion calling on Ipsa to improve employment conditions for staff.
Conservative, Lib Dem, Plaid Cyrmu, SDLP and Labour members have signed the motion.
It says MPs' staff are significantly worse off under the new expenses scheme and calls on Ipsa to improve the employment terms and conditions for staff in a forthcoming review.
The motion, which has been backed by 49 MPs so far, is sponsored by Jack Dromey and backed by the Unite Parliamentary Staff Branch which represents more than 400 members of MPs’ staff.
Ipsa has said they will be reviewing the scheme in the autumn.
"Front-line staff should not be unfairly punished for the mistakes of some MPs in the last Parliament through pays cuts, reduced redundancy terms and attacks on trade union rights," said Dromey.
"Ipsa needs to take more positive steps to improve the way Parliament works as a place of employment."
Unite said there has been a general downgrading in conditions under the new Ipsa expenses scheme; including attacks on trade union subscriptions, a cut to staffing budgets, a reduction in redundancy rights to a statutory only basis, a ban on performance-related bonuses and treatment of maternity leave pay and cover as contingencies.
The EDM also calls on Ipsa to take positive steps towards making Parliament a blue-ribbon place of employment.
This includes the creation of a central Human Resources department for MPs' staff and an Interns Fund to allow MPs to pay interns a fair wage, in recognition that in practice many Parliamentary internships qualify for at least the national minimum wage.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd