Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Hunting and Postal Strike.
Hunting
Asked again about the possibility of invoking the Parliament Act to secure the passage of the Hunting Bill, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that the position had not changed since this morning’s briefing. The Government was reflecting on what had happened in the Lords last week and discussions were continuing. Once a decision had been taken on how to proceed, an announcement would be made. Asked if it was right to say that a Bill which did not proceed through the House of Lords was deemed to be equivalent to a Bill which had been stopped in the Lords - which meant that the Parliament Act could be used, the PMOS said yes, as he understood it, but he would encourage journalists to read up on the subject if they wanted details. His reply should not be interpreted one way or the other.
Postal Strike
Asked if the Prime Minister was pleased to see a break-through in the postal dispute, the PMOS said that the fact that the employers and the union had reached an understanding was clearly welcome news. The two sides were now engaging in fresh talks to examine how all the issues could be resolved. However, while this clearly marked progress, there were still issues which needed to be worked through - and we hoped that the outcome would be successful.
Asked to characterise the Government’s attitude to wildcat strikes, the PMOS said that in any industrial dispute, it was the Government’s desire that issues of concern were resolved through dialogue and people got back to work. That was what appeared to be happening now. Asked by the Spectator why he was refusing to condemn an illegal strike, the PMOS said that the Government had made clear that all parties should be brought to the table and sort the issues out between themselves. That was now where we were. Pressed as to why he wouldn’t condemn an illegal strike, the PMOS said that the two sides in the postal strike were going back to Acas to resolve the outstanding issues. That was the correct way to move forward. The Government had urged both sides to go back into talks. It was important for customers, employers and employees that the issues should be resolved as quickly as possible in the most expeditious way - and that was through dialogue. Patricia Hewitt had issued a statement to that effect on Saturday.
Asked why Ms Hewitt had taken so long to issue a statement about the dispute last week, the PMOS said that the company had wanted - and had been given - commercial freedom. As a result, it was up to the managers and the unions to resolve any pay dispute together. Put to him that we were talking about the Royal Mail, not a video company, the PMOS said that was true. He pointed out that Royal Mail had wanted freedom within the public sector, and they had been given it. The Royal Mail Board was therefore responsible for running the company and were the ones who negotiated pay deals with the unions. Ms Hewitt had said at the end of last week that both sides should get together and resolve all the outstanding issues through dialogue. That was where we were today. Obviously he was not suggesting that everything had been sorted. He was simply making the point that the two sides had reached an understanding on how to move forward, and that was something to be welcomed.
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