At this year’s Trades Union Congress, the FDA’s delegation asked fellow unions to support our work on resourcing public services, holding the government to account over ethics, and strengthening miscarriage leave.

This week, an FDA delegation has been in Brighton to attend the TUC’s annual congress, which centered around a new deal for working people. The FDA moved a motion on ethical government, which called for Labour’s proposals for an ethics commission to become reality. FDA General Secretary Dave Penman told Congress:

“Ministerial or prime ministerial misconduct must be able to be independently investigated, with transparent rules that build confidence for those that may seek to challenge some of the most powerful people in our country.

“Labour’s promise of an ethics commission to oversee standards needs to become a reality. Standards are one thing, enforcement is another. The Commission, or the bodies it oversees need to have teeth and the resources to investigate quickly and effectively.”

 

FDA President Margaret Haig spoke to a motion on investment in public services, telling congress:

“Whether we work in the public sector or use any part of it, we need to attract the best people… and retain the great people we all know who are dedicated, innovative and delivering despite the challenges.”

 

FDA Vice President Beatriz Brown spoke in support of a composite motion on miscarriage leave, saying:

“Whilst miscarriage leave policies may exist, in practice they’re poor. They distinguish between type and timings of pregnancy loss, as if some losses mean more than others”.

 

Also at Congress

FDA General Secretary Dave Penman was invited to speak at a fringe event held by Acas, which focused on developing partnerships between employers and employees.

Penman told the audience, “people actually want their employers to be successful, they want work to be good”, and spoke optimistically about the future, saying, “this is the first time in a couple of decades that there’s an opportunity to look at improvements in working conditions”.