Constituency staff ‘left out’ of Westminster anti-harassment plans
1 min read
Staff working for MPs in their constituencies have complained to journalists they are concerned new anti-harassment guidelines focus too much on the Westminster village.
Speaking to the BBC, one Labour MP aide said: “I spend most of my time in the constituency office, along with the rest of my boss's staff. We feel quite left out of the whole situation."
Proposals accepted by the Government to tackle widespread allegations of sexual harassment include mandatory training for MPs who have bullied or harassed employees.
Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom insisted constituency offices would be covered by the new behaviour code.
However, Mrs Leadsom acknowledged the new guidelines were written to tackle the poor behaviour in the Westminster village.
"The main focus of the problem we're seeking to solve is on the parliamentary estate,” she said.
Staff were also concerned that the proposals do not change the terms of employment of staff, who will still be directly employed by MPs, who, in effect, operate as small-business owners.
One member of staff said that "unless there's a better solution to the directly-employed-by-member system I don't think these sticking plasters can fix the culture".
A spokesperson for the House of Commons said in a statement: "The House takes the welfare of everyone who works in Parliament very seriously and provides a range of advice and support services which are available to members' staff."
