Pause in secondment of HSE staff to south east Asia


Professionals’ union Prospect has welcomed the HSE’s decision to pause deployments to Brunei. The move followed an outcry from its members that staff were asked to volunteer for secondment to the sultanate just days after it introduced new laws that would punish LGBT people by stoning them to death.


“We have very grave concerns about civil service staff being asked to work in a country with such a terrible record on equality and respecting the rights of others,” said Prospect deputy general secretary Garry Graham. “It shouldn’t have taken outrage from staff and concerns from ourselves for this change to happen.”


He said the union would be seeking assurances that the government does not have any further commercial contracts “hidden away” that will require public servants to work in Brunei. He also questioned whether the pause means “a change in policy with regards to providing commercial services to intolerant regimes” and, more generally, whether the HSE will honour its commitment that regulation will not be compromised in the pursuit of commercial work. 


“This is not the first incident of government trying to make up for austerity by carrying out commercial work abroad,” he added. “Our first priority remains the safety of our members and speaking up for their right to work without fear of discrimination.”

https://www.prospect.org.uk/news/id/2019/April/8/Welcome-pause-HSE-Brunei-deployment-following-union-pressure