INDUSTRIAL ACTION BY INTERSERVE WORKERS IN THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

That this House notes that members of the Public and Commercial Services union working for lnterserve in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be taking industrial action on the 1 and 2 of May 2019 following a 94 per cent yes vote in their strike ballot; notes that staff are striking due to issues including redundancies, changes to terms and·conditions without consultation and the introduction of electronic devices to more closely monitor staff, raising concerns regarding security and data protection; is aware that these outsourced workers fulfil a number of roles including maintenance, cleaning services and porterage; is concerned that lnterserve has refused to enter into meaningful talks with the union despite numerous attempts by the Public and Commercial Services Union to negotiate and open lines of communication with the Department; is alarmed that in recent weeks lnterserve has been placed into administration, putting thousands of jobs at risk across Government departments; and urgently calls on Ministers to intervene to secure jobs and to seriously consider bringing lnterserve contracts back in house as a priority.