Service Personnel (Trade Union Membership) (Hansard, 10 July 1979)

§ 11. Miss Richardson
asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will permit trade unions to recruit members of the Armed Forces.

§ Mr. Pym
Members of the Armed Forces may join existing trade unions as individuals provided this does not involve them in activities which would conflict with their military duties. Tradesmen who are nearing the end of their military service are encouraged to seek union membership as an aid to resettlement. There are, however, no plans for authorising any form of collective representation, and the question of allowing trade unions to recruit for that purpose does no, therefore, arise.

§ Miss Richardson
Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that it would be better for Service personnel to have a proper procedure for airing grievances through trade unions rather than have the shabby situation of the wives of Service men being forced to demonstrate on behalf of their husbands to get proper pay? Were we not the subject of some comment in other countries, where trade unionism is regarded as a basic right in their armed forces?

§ Mr. Pym
I do not agree with the hon. Lady. As my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Navy said last week, the Government are not convinced that it is a desirable step in itself or one that would necessarily benefit Service men. I should add that there is no evidence that the idea commands any degree of significant support within our Armed Forces.

§ Mr. Emery
Will my right hon. Friend resist any siren voices from trade unions trying collectively to unionise the British military forces? That would be a most deleterious approach, and it is something that should be widely resisted.

§ Mr. Pym
If such voices were raised, they would not be all that well received by those to whom they were directed.

§ Mr. Heffer
Why do the Government take a more negative view than some of our NATO Allies, who have trade union organisation in their Armed Services? It is not clear that it is time that the Government came up to date and recognised an organisation similar, perhaps, to that in the police force?

§ Mt. Pym
There are some countries in the NATO Alliance which do not permit trade unionism of any sort in their Armed Forces. The hon. Gentleman should take note of that. He should also remember that my predecessor took a different view from the one that he takes. I see no reason to depart from my predecessor's view.