• News & events
• Archived news releases
• 2009 archived press releases
• Union leader calls for a £1bn strategic fund for north west jobs
• Unite comment on Barclays UK job losses
• Unite officials to hold key meetings on Waterford with potential new purchaser and government in next 24 hours
• Newcastle Building Society to make 150 job cuts
• Derek Simpson warns ultra right wing groups that the politics of hate is not welcome at UK construction sites
• Diary Note: Launch of Lindsay Hoyle MP's Statutuory Redundancy bill
• Staythorpe power station workers tell Alstom to give them fair access to jobs
• Heathrow third runway in the best interests of the UK, says Unite
• Unite's reaction to InBev's decision to close the Stag Brewery in Mortlake by 2010
• Unite launches new year online campaign calling on Tesco shoppers to think about the workers

Diary Note: Launch of Lindsay Hoyle MP's Statutuory Redundancy bill

Official launch of Lindsay Hoyle MP's Statutory Redundancy (Amendment) bill

Date: Thursday, February 5th, 2009
Time: 10am
Location: New Palace Yard, House of Commons, London SW1A

MPs and unions get behind bill for fair deal on redundancy pay

Pressure to bring redundancy pay into line with the real cost of living will mount this week with the launch of Lindsay Hoyle MP's private member's bill to lift the cap on the amount a worker is entitled to when he or she loses their job.

The Statutory Redundancy (Amendment) bill is seeking to bring redundancy pay into line with average weekly earnings - it is currently capped at £350 per week, just 56 per cent of average earnings.

The bill, which has cross-party support in the Commons, is set for its second reading in the Commons on 13th March, 2009. Lindsay Hoyle is calling for MPs to be in the chamber that day to back the bill and help speed it into law before the summer.

The bill is also supported by those unions whose members are being hit hard during the economic downturn and reflects long-standing concerns that UK workers are too cheap to sack, often thrown on the dole with only a pittance while workers in competitor economies hang onto their jobs. Unions believe uprating redundancy pay should encourage employers to do more to keep workers in jobs during the downturn.

Mr Hoyle will officially launch his bill and campaign this Thursday, February 5th in the Commons. He will be joined by his MP co-sponsors and the chair of the Trade Union Liaison Organisation (TULO), Tony Woodley, the joint general secretary of Unite.

"All I am calling for is a fair deal during hard times. Redundancy pay in this country is among the lowest in Europe and this hits the working poor especially hard," said Lindsay Hoyle MP.

"Just take the workers from Woolworths - many of them were thrown onto the dole with only a pittance to show for their years of loyal service. Bringing the level of redundancy pay into line with average earnings will not only help workers plunged into unemployment make ends meet, it may also make employers think twice about putting people out of work in the first place."

The full text of the bill will be published ahead of the Commons second reading on Friday, March 13th.

ENDS

For further information about the launch, please contact Pauline Doyle, Unite head of media and campaigns, on 07976 832 861.

Notes: The Bill is backed by the following unions: Unite, Usdaw, Unison, the GMB, Community, Aslef, the CWU, TSSA and the TUC.

• Share on:
• Delicious
• Digg
• reddit
• Facebook
• StumbleUpon

Want to share this story? These sites allow you to tag and share links across the internet enabling you to share these links with friends and people with similar interests. You can also access your links from any computer you happen to be using.