Among the many individuals throughout Britain mourning the dying of Queen Elizabeth II are those that work at Clarence Home, the previous official residence of the brand new King. A few of these employees have served for many years. So it’s extremely merciless that for about 100 of those mourning staff, their service and dedication have been rewarded with potentialredundancy.
It’s a staggering misjudgment: employees are in profound shock. It’s merely unacceptable that they need to be handled this manner. To make issues worse, the notification was despatched out throughout a thanksgiving service for the Queen in Edinburgh.
Within the days because the Queen’s dying, some unions have known as off industrial motion, together with mine, the Public and Business Providers Union(PCS), after our members requested us to take action. The Trades Union Congress annual convention, on account of be held this week at a pivotal time for the labour motion, was additionally postponed. How can or not it's proper that, whereas life for a lot of on this nation got here to a short lived standstill, these answerable for Clarence Home ploughed on with enterprise as regular by sending out a redundancy discover to grieving staff?
It's to be anticipated that the ascension of a brand new monarch will deliver with it vital modifications, however the pace and means by which this has been carried out is appalling. There was no cause why consideration on these issues couldn’t have waited till after the Queen’s funeral had been held and the wants of the brand new Prince of Wales assessed.
The PCS members affected are rightly involved and now we have written to the King’s non-public secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, demanding the redundancy discover be instantly withdrawn. Now we have made it clear that different choices needs to be explored and he ought to have interaction in discussions with us.
The despicable means by which these staff have been handled reaffirms the significance of commerce union illustration within the office, with no exceptions made for these working for the royal household. Though PCS is a recognised union on the royal family, it's at present exempt from a number of employment legal guidelines, together with the Equality Act. This exemption is indefensible, and the brand new King and authorities ought to reverse it.
Not like the royal family, Clarence Home doesn’t have a formally recognised commerce union, and we are actually in search of to be part of ongoing discussions and to gauge curiosity in staff becoming a member of PCS. That is the precise factor to do by the employees, as a result of no employer can declare to have the perfect pursuits of their employees at coronary heart after they threaten them with job losses and refuse to recognise or to date even have interaction with unions.
We're dedicated to supporting all employees within the royal family who can be affected by this announcement and every other modifications which will occur. Individuals who have labored tirelessly of their duties throughout an unprecedented second on this nation’s historical past shouldn’t be seen as dispensable or have big uncertainties about their future hanging over them. No employee needs to be handled this manner. Clarence Home ought to withdraw the specter of redundancy and provides its staff the respect they deserve.
Mark Serwotka is basic secretary of the Public and Business Providers Union
Do you've got an opinion on the problems raised on this article? If you need to submit a letter of as much as 300 phrases to be thought of for publication, e mail it to us at guardian.letters@theguardian.com
Post a Comment