12.3    Motion regarding the Civic Centre

Mayor John Biggs moved, and Councillor Sirajul Islam seconded the motion as printed in the agenda.

Councillor Rabina Khan moved, and Councillor Ohid Ahmed seconded an amendment to add the following point at the end of the motion.

“The Council agrees to set up a ‘Community and Stakeholder Group’ comprising of the local traders, businesses and the community group- within the proximity of the new Civic Centre, as part of the award - winning Whitechapel Vison – to ensure that the project implementation and management benefits from a comprehensive input by key local stakeholders.”

The amendment was then put to the vote and was defeated.

Following the debate the motion as printed in the agenda was put to the vote and was agreed. Accordingly it was:

RESOLVED:

The Council notes that:

1.    The lease on the current Mulberry Place Headquarters building expires in June 2020;

2.    The facilities offered at Mulberry Place and associated Council offices including Albert Jacob House and John Onslow House are ageing and need to be updated

3.    Mulberry Place is located at the extreme eastern end of the Borough

4.    The review of options for a new civic centre undertaken since July 2015 has provided the opportunity to scrutinise proposals for a new civic headquarters as part of the former Royal London Hospital development and other options to determine which of these will offer best value for money, ensures a twenty first century working environment for staff delivering services to residents and provides a suitable location for the conduct of civic business

5.    The retention of all existing One Stop Shops and Ideas Stores along with consideration of facilities in the Bethnal Green and Isle of Dogs areas of the Borough is an essential part of this proposal to ensure a strong local presence across all the geographical areas of the Borough.

Having considered the options, the Council welcomes the decision of the Mayor in Cabinet on 3 November 2015 to agree the former Royal London Hospital site in Whitechapel as the preferred location for the new civic centre and endorses the Mayor’s subsequent decisions to enable the speediest implementation of this major project.

The Council further endorses the Mayor’s proposal to establish a cross party referencegroup to keep the development of the civic centre under review and to provide regular updates to the Council.

12.10  Motion regarding the Trade Union Bill

Councillor Clare Harrissonmoved, and Councillor Rachael Saunders seconded the motion as printed in the agenda.

Following debate, the motion was put to the vote and was agreed.  Accordingly it was:-

RESOLVED:

This Council notes that:

1.    In February 2015 the United Nations agency, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), reaffirmed its belief that ‘without protecting a right to strike, Freedom of Association, in particular the right to organise activities for the purpose of promoting and protecting workers’ interests, cannot be fully realised.’

2.    In July 2015 the Conservative government announced its intention to change legislation affecting trade unions and their members to make it harder to win ballots for industrial action. This will only be lawful if there is a 50% turnout among trade union members entitled to vote in addition to a simple majority voting for industrial action.

3.    The Conservatives seek a further requirement for those working in ‘important public services’ to secure the support of 40% of all trade union members. Non-voters will be counted as ‘against’ industrial action which is contrary to ILO guidance. This means that on a 50% turnout, 80% will have to vote for industrial action for it to be lawful in many public services.

4.    No such thresholds apply to elections in local government, for police and crime commissioners, or in European or Westminster elections.

5.    The government has refused the request of trade unions to make electronic balloting legally permissible and increase turnout this way.

This Council further notes that:

1.    The proposed Conservative legislation will also introduce greater restrictions for picketing.

2.    These include requirements on unions to inform the police of the name of a picket supervisor and ensure they have a letter of authorisation that they must be required to carry, inform the police of how many members will be expected to attend a picket line and what banners or materials will be used as well as to notify the police of details of how trade unions intend to use social media during a dispute.

3.    The Conservative government wants to remove the ban for employers to employ agency workers during a period of lawful industrial action.

4.    The government wants to grant Ministers the power to reduce the amount of facilities time agreed by employers and the workforce which is in place to ensure adequate workplace representation.

5.    Trade unions take industrial action for a wide range of reasons including defending wages and pensions, conditions at work as well as health and safety.

This Council believes that:

1.    The right to strike and protest are fundamental rights which should be respected in a free and democratic society.

2.    The Conservative government’s bill will undermine constructive employment relations and that harmonious industrial relations are achieved by meaningful engagement and not additional legal restrictions to trade union members.

3.    Workplace representation ensures access to justice and has benefits across whole organisations.

4.    The government’s Trade Union Bill is part of a disturbing trend to erode civil liberties and inhibit the right to speak out or protest against the government.

5.    The Conservative government’s Trade Union Bill is a politically-motivated attack on trade unions and could have negative consequences for wider civil society.

This Council resolves to:

1.    Request the Mayor to write to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills stating the council’s opposition to their Trade Union Bill and to participate in any consultations.

2.    Support the TUC and civil liberties groups in campaigning to defend the right to strike and oppose the Trade Union Bill.

3.    Continue to value the importance of meaningful workforce engagement and representation.

Under Procedure Rule 17.6, Councillor Peter Golds and Councillor Chris Chapman requested that it be recorded that they voted against this motion.

Motions 12.1- 12.2, 12.4– 12.9 and 12- 11 were not debated due to lack of time.