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Compensation For Redundant Astra Employees

EDM number 478 in 1993-94, proposed by Harry Barnes on 27/01/1994.

That this House notes the contradictions between the Government's claims to high standards of decency in the public services and how those employed by the privatised Astra Training Network were treated when Astra went into receivership in 1993; believes that the Government has demonstrated double standards and double dealing in claiming, on the one hand, that the clean break nature of Astra's privatisation in 1990 absolved them of liability for the employees and, on the other hand, making a decision, just prior to the 1992 general election, to make a payment of ú1.2 million to keep Astra afloat; is appalled at the admission in a letter of 8th January from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Employment to the honourable Member for North East Derbyshire that while 'the purchasers of skillcentres were bound by the terms of the sale to make pension provision' (including redundancy payments) 'broadly comparable to that applicable to the civil servants transferred to them, 'there is, however, no legal barrier to an employer seeking to make changes to staff's terms and conditions at any time'; recognises that Astra's closure involved considerable suffering for employees who were transferred, often without effective choice, from the Civil Service and whose previous terms of employment had been seriously undermined; believes that redundancy payments were substantially inferior to those available if Astra employees had still been entitled to Civil Service conditions; and urges the Government to urgently examine the question of ex-gratia compensation to redundant Astra employees.

This motion has been signed by a total of 67 MPs.

MPDateConstituencyPartyType
Harry Barnes27/01/1994North East DerbyshireProposed
Ken Livingstone28/01/1994Brent EastSigned
Michael Connarty31/01/1994Falkirk EastSigned
Harold Walker31/01/1994Doncaster CentralSigned
Nick Ainger31/01/1994PembrokeSigned
Paul Flynn31/01/1994Newport WestSigned
Jim Dowd31/01/1994Lewisham WestSigned
John Cummings31/01/1994EasingtonSigned
Tom Cox31/01/1994TootingSigned
Eric Clarke31/01/1994MidlothianSigned
Alan Meale31/01/1994MansfieldSigned
John McAllion31/01/1994Dundee EastSigned
Robert Parry31/01/1994Liverpool, RiversideSigned
Martin Redmond31/01/1994Don ValleySigned
Ernie Ross31/01/1994Dundee WestSigned
Dennis Skinner31/01/1994BolsoverSigned
Peter Hardy31/01/1994WentworthSigned
John Heppell31/01/1994Nottingham EastSigned
Lynne Jones31/01/1994Birmingham, Selly OakSigned
Eddie Loyden31/01/1994Liverpool, GarstonSigned
William McKelvey31/01/1994Kilmarnock & LoudounSigned
John Battle01/02/1994Leeds WestSigned
Audrey Wise01/02/1994PrestonSigned
Paddy Tipping01/02/1994SherwoodSigned
Jack Thompson01/02/1994WansbeckSigned
Gerry Steinberg01/02/1994Durham, City ofSigned
Win Griffiths01/02/1994BridgendSigned
Norman Godman01/02/1994Greenock and Port GlasgowSigned
John Evans01/02/1994St Helens NorthSigned
Ian Davidson01/02/1994Glasgow, GovanSigned
Lawrence Cunliffe01/02/1994LeighSigned
Bill Michie01/02/1994Sheffield, HeeleySigned
Robert Litherland01/02/1994Manchester CentralSigned
Roy Hughes01/02/1994Newport EastSigned
Keith Hill01/02/1994StreathamSigned
Gordon Prentice01/02/1994PendleSigned
Bridget Prentice01/02/1994Lewisham EastSigned
Jimmy Dunnachie01/02/1994Glasgow, PollokSigned
Terry Lewis02/02/1994WorsleySigned
Andrew Faulds02/02/1994Warley EastSigned
Harry Cohen02/02/1994LeytonSigned
Michael Clapham02/02/1994Barnsley West & PenistoneSigned
Richard Burden02/02/1994Birmingham, NorthfieldSigned
Keith Bradley02/02/1994Manchester, WithingtonSigned
Colin Pickthall02/02/1994West LancashireSigned
Ronnie Campbell03/02/1994Blyth ValleySigned
Mike Hall03/02/1994Warrington SouthSigned
Tommy Graham03/02/1994Renfrew West and InverclydeSigned
Derek Enright03/02/1994HemsworthSigned
Kenneth Eastham03/02/1994Manchester, BlackleySigned
Dale Campbell-Savours03/02/1994WorkingtonSigned
Roland Boyes03/02/1994Houghton and WashingtonSigned
Nigel Jones03/02/1994CheltenhamSigned
Alan Simpson03/02/1994Nottingham SouthSigned
Angela Eagle03/02/1994WallaseySigned
Jean Corston07/02/1994Bristol EastSigned
Andrew Miller08/02/1994Ellesmere Port & NestonSigned
Edward O'Hara09/02/1994Knowsley SouthSigned
Peter Pike10/02/1994BurnleySigned
David Clelland10/02/1994Tyne BridgeSigned
Eric Illsley10/02/1994Barnsley CentralSigned
Allan Rogers10/02/1994RhonddaSigned
Martyn Jones15/02/1994Clwyd South WestSigned
Mike Gapes15/02/1994Ilford SouthSigned
John Gunnell16/02/1994Leeds South and MorleySigned
Kim Howells23/02/1994PontypriddSigned
Barry Sheerman24/02/1994HuddersfieldSigned

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