One rule for the public and SME and another for MPs?

This is a week old, but still rather interesting..... :roll:

It looks like the practice of do what I say not what I do is alive a kicking in the corridors of power. Whilst former MPs have their own, officially recognised union: the Association of Former Members of Parliament, their own employees: MPs’ staff, are still be refused union recognition.

http://www.epolitix.com/latestnews/article-detail/newsarticle/commons-pressured-on-union-recognition/?no_cache=1

 

I imagine that there are plenty of groups that voice the concerns of HoP workers, but a trade union should reflect the interests of the workers trade (the clue is in the title) rather than where they work. For example, there is no generic union for matelots, but matelots who have specific trade skills (i.e. electrical maintenance, etc.) can join an appropriate union for other workers with similar skills. So someone employed at the HoP should quite feasibly be able to join a union that supports their trade, regardless of their place of work.

 

SPB, anyone can join a union, and the barrier between 'trades' is in the whole a thing of the past, ie, I am a member of the GMB, and I advised a number of colleagues to join then when the firm we were working for started to look a bit shaky (Admin and Training Staff) as I knew that it was one of the two unions that were classed as 'recognised' (Union Members got a bit extra from the adminitrators when we took them to a tribunal - non union members had to go through the rigmorole of applying for it them selves after the fact and had a longer wait to get their hands on what was owed). And recognised is the relevant word, if the employer does not recognise the union you are a member of, it does complicate matters when you want them to represent you.