IPSA staff memberships of trade unions

Request

  1. Does IPSA recognise a trade union for its staff?

  2. Does IPSA deduct trade union subscriptions through the payroll for its staff?


Response

Does IPSA recognise a trade union for its staff?

Currently IPSA does not formally recognise a trade union, although staff members are free to join a union of their choice.  In time IPSA may formally recognise a union but this is yet to be decided.

Does IPSA deduct trade union subscriptions through the payroll for its staff?

IPSA will deduct trade union subscriptions for its staff but only when the employee instructs the IPSA payroll department to do so.

In response to your enquiry dated 6 July, the House of Commons and IPSA issued a joint letter dated 24 March 2010 to all Members of Parliament, stating that payments to trade unions etc would no longer be deducted from salary. This letter was also published on the Working4MP website. Please find a copy of the letter attached. I can confirm that IPSA does not have an anti-trade union policy.

In the first months of operation, IPSA’s priorities have been to pay the salaries of MPs’ staff and to make the required statutory and pension deductions. We are currently reviewing the situation in relation to trade union subscriptions and hope to offer this as a facility in the near future.

Ref:
FOI055
Disclosure:
26 August 2010
Categories:
IPSA - STAFF
Exemptions Applied:
None