§ Lord Houghton of Sowerbyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What were the terms of the "no-victimisation" clause in the agreement with the Civil Service unions on resumption of normal working after the strike earlier this year, and whether they apply to the unions as well as to the management side of this dispute; and:
What were the terms of the "no-victimisation" agreement with the Civil Service unions on resumption of normal working after the strike and whether they apply to the unions as well as to the managerial side of this dispute, and if not, why not.
§ Baroness YoungOne of the provisions in the framework agreement for an orderly return to work, reached with the Civil Service non-industrial unions at the end of the pay dispute this year, states that there will be no penalisation by the official side of any staff who took part in the industrial action. The framework agreement also records the agreement of both sides to work towards restoring normal working relationships as soon as possible; and an undertaking by the trade union side to co-operate fully in achieving a speedy and orderly resumption of work, clearance of the backlog, and return to normal operation. These provisions could not be achieved if all staff failed to work harmoniously in the recovery process. I am encouraged by reports I have received that the return to work has, so far, gone well.