I was contacted by a union representative on 11th January 2022 informing me that they and their members were in dispute with Actavo, and said, “Continuous strike action by our members commenced on 4th October 2021 and ran up until Christmas and further action is likely.”
Industrial disputes are a matter between employers and employees, and while I sympathise with the workers, informing me about a breakdown in communications three months after it commenced where clearly union intervention has failed, would not have proved helpful.
In my experience strike action rarely provides satisfaction for either side. I encouraged my constituents to resolve the dispute in a way that both parties can accept.
Protesting outside my office entrance without any prior notice is aggressive and unhelpful. If I had been informed they wished to meet me, I would have been happy to do so.
This Friday I have been working in the House of Commons assisting the progress of a number of important bills through Parliament.
