Lobbying and campaigns

Keep public services public campaign
GMB is currently running a high profile campaign for high quality, directly provided public services. We believe that investment, modernisation and reform are essential but the evidence shows that the private sector is unable to deliver on value for money and service quality. GMB is opposed to the Private Finance Initiative. GMB believes that the proliferation of long term contracts with private companies to provide our public services is undermining service flexibility and democratic accountability whilst saddling public bodies with unacceptably high long term costs.

We believe that public services cannot be rebuilt on the basis of private contractors making profits at the expense of cuts in the terms and conditions of public service workers. GMB has consistently pointed out the discriminatory effects of this, particularly for low paid part-time women. With the Code of Practice for Local Government, the Government has gone some way to recognising the damaging effect of privatisation on the public sector workforce. GMB is playing a robust role in seeking to negotiate better protections for all workers where work is transferred out of the public sector.

We are arguing for:

  • a fair wages resolution to ensure that all employees working in the public services have the same terms and conditions and all contractors are obliged to abide by public sector collective agreements for the lifetime of contracts
  • continuing membership in public sector pensions schemes for all workers for transferred staff and new starters
  • a statutory duty on all local authorities to include workforce conditions in all Best Value contracting backed up by vigorous inspection and monitoring arrangements, and this to be extended to all other public sector contracting

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Campaign for disabled employment opportunities through public contracting
GMB has a large membership of disabled workers in supported employment. In 1994 the UK Government ended the Priority Suppliers Scheme which had provided secure, meaningful work of good quality for large numbers of disabled workers. This decision was taken because the scheme was deemed to contravene EU internal market rules. Since then, GMB has been working continuously within the EU institutions for changes to EU legislation to allow public procurement to be used for social objectives, such as protecting sheltered employment schemes from unfair competition.

GMB has worked with Workability International - the European organisation for employers of disabled workers - the European Public Service Union, and the European Disability Forum as part of our campaign. We have been successful in getting revised Directives agreed and we expect their passage to be complete at European level by the end of 2002. We are currently in discussions with the UK government on domestic implementation issues, particularly how they will be applied in the context of Best Value.

GMB is calling for:

  • good quality public contracts for supported employmentfactories whichwill renew employees' pride in the high quality of their work.
  • public contracting authorities at all levels able to activelypromote theaward of contracts to supported employment factories, without fear ofbreaching EU rules, or coming into conflict with the Best Valueregime
  • an expansion in supported employment factories and workshopsofferingactive employment to disabled people currently excluded from the worldofwork
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Employment Act 2002
The Employment Act 2002 contains much to be welcomed - including new rights for working parents, and statutory provisions for Union Learning Representatives. However, GMB is currently working hard to convince Government of our deep concerns about its proposals for changes to Employment Tribunals and the law of unfair dismissal. We believe they will deter the most vulnerable workers from enforcing their employment rights, and fatally undermine the new ACAS Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures.

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We have also raised a number of other issues in relation to the Act

  • The eight week calculation period for statutory maternity pay is unfair because it means women who have any period of abnormally low earnings, for example a period of sickness, receive lower SMP or lose their entitlement altogether
  • The need for greater flexibility within the statutory paternity leave scheme to allow new fathers to better fit their leave around the needs of mothers and babies taking account of factors such as length of hospital stay, prematurity etc
  • The need to extend new rights to all workers not just those technically classed as employees
  • The need to reduce the hurdles faced by working parents seeking to exercise their right to request a flexible working pattern

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Private Security Industry Act 2001
GMB is currently actively involved in consultations with the new Security Industry Authority on the implementation of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. GMB has long campaigned for effective regulation to raise standards and conditions in an industry where the activities of unscrupulous and often criminal elements undermine the status of reputable operators. Poor pay and conditions are rife, with long working hours and minimal training. Implementation of the Act provides the opportunity for the private security industry to shake off its reputation for poor standards and exploitation, and develop into a high quality, well respected industry which is capable of taking on an enhanced role.

Whilst GMB welcomes the long-awaited steps being taken to regulate the industry, we are concerned that there are areas where the proposals could be improved in the interests of public confidence and safety. We are also calling for the new Security Industry Authority to address issues that will affect the employment of over 20,000 of our members who work across the security industry, including:

  • Minimum training standards
  • Licence fee payment
  • Exclusion of in-house security staff from regulation

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