FDA welcomes ‘historic moment for House of Commons’ as MPs put trust in independent process

24 Jun 2020 12:26 PM

Responding to the House of Commons debate on establishing the new Independent Expert Panel to deal with complaints of bullying and harassment against MPs, FDA Assistant General Secretary Amy Leversidge yesterday said:

“This is an historic moment for the House of Commons. It is an astounding achievement for all the brave women and men who spoke out publicly to try and make Parliament a better place to work – they can say this evening that they have truly made a difference. The FDA union has long campaigned for a fully independent process in the House of Commons so that bullying, harassment and sexual harassment complaints can be dealt with fairly and effectively without fear or favour and without political interference.

“In Dame Laura Cox’s inquiry she said that bullying, harassment and sexual harassment were able to thrive because they were tolerated and concealed due to a culture of deference to MPs. This evening, we have seen MPs make a stand and say they will no longer tolerate bad behaviour and they will no longer expect deference from staff. Staff will be over the moon that MPs voted for Chris Bryant MP’s amendment to not give themselves the right of debate. This shows they are willing to put their trust and confidence in the process, just as they have asked staff to do.

“Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect at work and this is a great day for all staff in the House of Commons.”