Pay of British Council workers

Early day motion 1478, tabled 9 February 2021 by Paula Barker (Labour). Signed by 20 members.

That this House appreciates the invaluable role played by the British Council in promoting arts and culture, education and the English language overseas and the benefits it brings to the UK; believes that workers employed by the British Council deserve to be remunerated accordingly; regrets the anxiety caused by the Government’s delay in responding to requests for funding any pay settlement until December 2020 and subsequent refusal of even a token payment, which resulted in no pay award being made throughout the whole of 2020; believes that the British Council is alone among government bodies in failing to make any pay award whatsoever to staff in a year when the covid-19 pandemic has caused grave financial insecurity; and therefore supports members of the Public and Commercial Services Union in calling on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to ensure that British Council employees receive a fair pay settlement in recognition of their work and have parity and equal treatment with other civil service departments, non-departmental public bodies and organisations.

Signatures by party: Labour 14, Liberal Democrat 2, DUP 1, Labour/Co-operative 1, Scottish National Party 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.