On the 16th March 2016 Lord Kerslake moved an amendment to the Government’s Trade Union Bill regarding the introduction of electronic voting for the purpose of ballots held before any trade union action.The Bishop of Chester took part.
Lord Kerslake moved amendment 3, after clause 3, to insert the new clause Electronic balloting Provision for electronic balloting: review and piloting scheme. The House divided: Continue reading “Division: Trade Union Bill- Electronic voting”
On 23rd February 2016 the House of Lords considered the Government’s Trade Union Bill during its committee stage. The Bishop of Bristol, Rt Revd Mike Hill, intervened during a speech by Lord King on clause 12. The clause, and clause 13 that followed, related to facility time and check off. The intervention is below and the full debate on the clause can be read here. Continue reading “Trade Union Bill: Bishop of Bristol raises concerns about proposals on facility time”
On 8th February 2016, the House of Lords considered the Government’s Trade Union Bill in committee. The Bishop of Chester, Rt Revd Peter Forster, spoke in favour of amendments to allowing electronic voting in union ballots alongside the Bill’s introduction of mandatory thresholds for strike ballots. Baroness Neville-Rolfe responded for the Government. Continue reading “Trade Union Bill – Bishop of Chester supports amendment on electronic balloting”
On the 11th January 2016 the Rt Revd James Langstaff, Bishop of Rochester, spoke during the Second Reading of the Government’s Trade Union Bill. The Bishop called on Government to foster a culture of good practice and partnership rather than introducing fresh measures to increase regulation and control.
The Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, we on these Benches are always wary of involving ourselves in debates that, as we have already seen, are likely to become fairly polarised in political ways. Of course, this is a Second Reading debate, in which we try to focus on matters of intention and principle. Therefore, I dare to step in. Indeed, it is only because my right reverend friend the Bishop of Bristol has conspired to get himself on a plane to Uganda at this precise moment that I am standing in his place at all. I rather wish that he had been here instead of me, but there we are.
We have an interest in these matters, because many of the origins of the trade union movement lie in close partnership with the churches of this land, not least the Methodist Church but others also. From these Benches, we have a continuing concern for the flourishing of those things that are to do with civil society in our nation, and, within civil society, of those things that we think of as intermediate institutions, of which trade unions are a very good example. Therefore, the place of trade unions is of concern to us. Continue reading “Trade Union Bill: Bishop of Rochester calls for focus on better relationships over more regulation”
The Church of England in Parliament 
You must be logged in to post a comment.