Holyrood grinds to halt after dozens of Labour MSPs refuse to cross picket line

Published on Tuesday 9 March 2010 21:50

MSPs took the day off from parliamentary business yesterday because they objected to crossing a picket line of striking civil servants.

• The Public and Commercial Services Union picket the Scottish Parliament. Picture: Neil Hanna

All Holyrood committees were cancelled after it was decided that it was pointless to hold them, given that many Labour members were not prepared to breach the line of strikers protesting outside the parliament.

Around 200 of the 500 civil servants employed by the parliament took part in the strike, but Holyrood authorities were adamant that business could have continued as normal.

Hardly any of Labour's 46 MSPs, including the leader Iain Gray, who was on constituency business, turned up.

Labour also postponed their weekly group meeting in the parliament.

The MSPs' inaction angered those who believe that they should be getting on with the business of running Scotland at a time when the stock of politicians is low.

"Politicians should be standing up to this completely unreasonable strike, especially at a time when the political class should be seen to be setting the right example," said Matthew Elliott of the TaxPayers' Alliance.

"MSPs shouldn't be cancelling meetings because they don't want to cross the picket lines, or can't be bothered, whilst private sector workers struggle to get by on lower pay."

Bill Aitken, the Conservative convener of the justice committee, said: "I have found it irritating that we have lost this day's business and clearly we will have to catch up by arranging additional sessions.

"There is a degree of irony that so many Labour MSPs throughout the parliament have difficulty crossing picket lines called to demonstrate against the policies of their government."

The parliamentary authorities had flagged up the fact that the strike was taking place to committee conveners.

The conveners canvassed members of their committees. They found that there were not enough MSPs prepared to cross the picket of Public and Commercial Service Union members standing at the entrances to Holyrood to enable the meetings to happen.

The workers were striking as part of UK-wide industrial action in a dispute over changes to civil service redundancy terms.

Tuesdays are normally devoted entirely to committee work. The justice committee and subordinate legislation committee have been postponed until today. The finance, Europe, equal opportunities and transport committees will meet next week.

A Labour spokesman said: "Labour postponed its group meeting today till later in the week. It has been up to each individual MSP to make their own decision.

"Iain Gray did not come into the parliament today. Instead he brought forward business in his constituency.

"The committee conveners consulted with colleagues from all parties and the decision was made to hold them on another day."

An SNP spokeswoman said: "This is not a day off. Our MSPs will be working as normal in the Scottish Parliament or they will be doing so in their constituencies."

A Liberal Democrat spokeswoman said: "This is not a day off. Our MSPs will be working as normal in the Scottish Parliament or they will be doing so in their constituencies."

A Holyrood spokeswoman said arrangements were in place to "minimise" the impact of the industrial action and confirmed the staff could have supported business.