One Parliament One Employer

GMB's MPs' and Peers' Staff Branch is calling for a single, accountable employer for MPs’ staff to deliver fairness, consistency & proper protections.

Why this campaign matters

MPs' staff are currently employed by more than 650 separate employers, each with different workplace practices and office cultures.

What this means in practice is inconsistency between offices, meaning that staff doing similar roles can be on different contracts and experience different treatment.

MPs are being expected to act as employer alongside representing their consistuents and making legislation.

GMB believes this system is having a detrimental impact on pay and progression for staff, particularly women, non-white, and disabled workers. Without a central employer to monitor gaps, some staff are seeing their salaries and prospects lag behind their peers'.

What we are calling for?

We want a single, central employer in Parliament to take responsiblity for payroll, contracts, and welfare. Under this model, MPs' could still recruit and manage their own staff but all other aspects of their employment would be overseen by a central body.

We believe this is the best outcome for both MPs' and their staff. It removes a burden from MPs, who weren't elected to to be HR managers, and provides more consistency and fairness for staff.