MP’s call to government

I am calling on the government to update a key order which protects the terms and conditions of Local Government workers.

After initially raising the issue of the UK Governments failure to update Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government, etc.) (Modification) Order 1999 – more commonly known as the Redundancy Modification Order (RMO) – via letters and questions to the Minister, I was awarded an adjournment debate.

An adjournment debate is an opportunity for an individual backbench MP to raise an issue and receive a response from the relevant Minister.

RMO allows local government employees to carry over their employment service with organisations on the list but it has not been updated by the Government since 2015, even though they stated it would be updated in ‘due course’- another irrelevant Government timescale.

This has left many employees across the country in limbo as to whether their continuous service is recognised and even worse, thousands of employees unaware they are affected.

This has a real effect on employees’ rights since many of the terms and conditions of local government employment are linked to continuous service.

This can impact not only on their redundancy rights but also on, for example, sickness allowance and maternity pay.

I am in no doubt, had the terms of the order impacted on Conservative MPs directly, any delay would have been deemed unacceptable - never mind one of two years and counting.

Having been a local councillor for 16 years, I know just how hard our local government employees work.

For them to be treated like this is simply deplorable; they deserve better.

I will continue to pursue this, not just for my own constituents who have been directly affected, but for the thousands of employees across the country. Martyn Day MP, Linlithgow and East Falkirk.