Call for action over bullying

The GMB general union has called for an overhaul of the employment system for MPs’ staff after the Labour MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill, Liam Byrne, was found to have committed serious breaches of Parliament’s bullying and harassment policy. He was suspended from the Commons for two days.

Members’ staff branch chair Jenny Symmons called for the responsibility of employment to be removed from MPs to give staff safety and security.

Meanwhile, the UCU university and college union called on Northampton University to address a “toxic work culture” that led to a staff member being bullied out of their job after a tribunal ruled the university had unfairly dismissed employee Chris Hill.

UCU branch chair Nick Cartright said the union had raised issues including “the culture of bullying, excessive workloads, and a grievance procedure that isn’t fit for purpose many times with management”.

• Unions in the creative sector have welcomed proposals for an independent standards authority to strengthen efforts to tackle bullying and harassment and drive greater accountability across the sector.

The new body will have the power to investigate allegations of abuse and will initially operate in film and television.

The Musicians’ Union says it will be pushing for the authority to be available in music as soon as possible and will continue to push the government to change the law. The law and infrastructure are not there for the freelance community, union general secretary Naomi Pohl pointed out.