That this House notes that management at Gunstones Bakery, near Sheffield, having recently made over 400 redundancies, is now trying to impose a pay freeze on the remaining workforce; further notes that the Chief Executive of the parent company, 2 Sisters Food Group, Ranjit Singh Boparan, and his wife, are estimated by the Asian Rich List to enjoy a personal fortune totalling £1.35 billion; deplores the exploitative business model that has seen attacks on jobs, pay and conditions across the 2 Sisters Group; highlights the goodwill previously shown by Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) officials and members in offering to suspend pay negotiations whilst the redundancy process was conducted; believes that the company management is now being unreasonable in insisting that any increase in pay would need to be financed via reductions in existing terms and conditions of BFAWU members; recognises that BFAWU members have been obliged to take industrial action to protect their pay and conditions; and calls on their employers to enter into meaningful negotiations to resolve the dispute.

That this House notes that management at Gunstones Bakery, near Sheffield, having recently made over 400 redundancies, is now trying to impose a pay freeze on the remaining workforce; further notes that the Chief Executive of the parent company, 2 Sisters Food Group, Ranjit Singh Boparan, and his wife, are...

That this House is dismayed at global outsourcing company Sodexo's behaviour towards staff working on its contract providing catering services on behalf of Transport for London (TfL); notes that the company has recently had an unusually large number of grievances and tribunal claims raised against it and was found by an employment tribunal to have unfairly dismissed Rail, Maritime and Transport trade union representative Petrit Mihaj for his trade union activities; is concerned that Sodexo, despite being a large undertaking, made it clear that it was unwilling to reinstate or re-engage Mr Mihaj in any capacity or at any location and stated it would flout such a tribunal order if made; further notes that, accordingly, the employment tribunal judge hearing his case decided not to order reinstatement or re-engagement; calls for Sodexo to reinstate or re-engage Mr Mihaj at the earliest opportunity and for TfL and the Mayor of London to support this position; and further calls for the law to be reviewed with a view to ensuring that tribunals can enforce reinstatement orders.

That this House is dismayed at global outsourcing company Sodexo's behaviour towards staff working on its contract providing catering services on behalf of Transport for London (TfL); notes that the company has recently had an unusually large number of grievances and tribunal claims raised against it and was found by...

That this House notes with great concern the closure of Solway Foods' Corby site, owned by 2 Sisters Food Group, with the loss of approximately 900 jobs; regrets that management have referred to the site as unviable and refused to commit to the long-term future of the business in Corby, despite the council's offer of financial assistance with relocating to an upgraded facility elsewhere in the area; further notes that the redundancies follow on from around 2,400 redundancies at firms, including RF Brookes, Vion and Avana, forced to close within two years of their acquisition by 2 Sisters Food Group; believes that the company's owner and Chief Executive Mr Ranjit Singh Boparan appears deliberately to be undermining job security, pay and conditions of employees of the companies he has acquired; further notes that the overall turnover of 2 Sisters rose by 23 per cent last year to exceed £2.8 billion; and therefore supports members of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union in campaigning to defend their members and calls on management to enter meaningful negotiations to protect jobs in the industry.

That this House notes with great concern the closure of Solway Foods' Corby site, owned by 2 Sisters Food Group, with the loss of approximately 900 jobs; regrets that management have referred to the site as unviable and refused to commit to the long-term future of the business in Corby,...

That this House notes that the fast food industry in the UK sees revenue of over £5 billion every year; further notes that the sector is dominated by multinational corporations delivering vast profits for their shareholders; is appalled that many employees in the industry are not paid a living wage and are employed on zero-hours contracts; believes that workers should be able to join a trade union without fear of recrimination from employers; welcomes the initiative of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union which, together with other campaign groups, has launched a Fast Food Rights campaign for workers in the industry; further notes that the campaign will be calling for a day of action on 15 February 2014 at branches of McDonald's UK, Burger King and Costa Coffee on London's Oxford Street; and calls for the management of the companies concerned to enter into meaningful discussions with the union over pay, conditions and trade union representation in their outlets.

That this House notes that the fast food industry in the UK sees revenue of over £5 billion every year; further notes that the sector is dominated by multinational corporations delivering vast profits for their shareholders; is appalled that many employees in the industry are not paid a living wage...

That this House expresses profound concern at the proposed appointment of a commercial management company to partner Defence Business Services; believes that allowing a private sector partner to identify parts of the Ministry of Defence for privatisation and then bid for those contracts represents an unacceptable conflict of interest; and calls on the Government to work with relevant trade unions to redraw the proposed changes to the structure of Defence Business Services based on the principle that potential partners be in defence, for defence.

That this House expresses profound concern at the proposed appointment of a commercial management company to partner Defence Business Services; believes that allowing a private sector partner to identify parts of the Ministry of Defence for privatisation and then bid for those contracts represents an unacceptable conflict of interest; and...

That this House contrasts the recent reports that the incoming Chief Executive of Marks and Spencer is to receive a fee of ??15 million for simply joining the company with the evidence from the Report of the National Equality Panel that people in the poorest tenth of the population have less than ??8,800 in total wealth; and calls on the Board and shareholders of Marks and Spencer to reconsider the morality of the scale of such a pay award when so many people are living in poverty, losing their jobs and struggling to provide for their families on low pay.

That this House contrasts the recent reports that the incoming Chief Executive of Marks and Spencer is to receive a fee of ??15 million for simply joining the company with the evidence from the Report of the National Equality Panel that people in the poorest tenth of the population have...

That this House expresses its concern that Twinings intends to close down its North Shields plant, resulting in the loss of 263 jobs, and to shed 129 jobs from its Andover plant and move the majority of its production to Poland and China; notes that Twinings and its parent company Associated British Foods (ABF) remain hugely profitable, making in excess of ??56 million; further notes the adverse impact that this decision will have on the local economies and people of North Shields and Andover; therefore calls on Twinings and ABF to reverse their decision and to maintain their plant in North Shields and full production in Andover; and calls on the Government to intervene as a matter of urgency to prevent such unnecessary loss of jobs in the UK.

That this House expresses its concern that Twinings intends to close down its North Shields plant, resulting in the loss of 263 jobs, and to shed 129 jobs from its Andover plant and move the majority of its production to Poland and China; notes that Twinings and its parent company...

That this House notes that the UK plays a major role in tax dodging, with many of the world's tax havens being British dependencies or territories, and with many tax lawyers and accountants working in the City of London; believes that companies have a social responsibility to pay their fair share of tax, not only in the UK but also in the developing world; further notes that since its creation HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has pursued a programme of job cuts and office closures, and plans to close over 200 offices and cut 25,000 jobs by 2011, undermining HMRC's ability to assess, enforce and collect taxes and monies at a time when the tax gap is estimated by the Tax Justice Network to be costing the UK ??100 billion a year and developing countries ??250 billion a year; and calls on the Government to halt staff cutbacks and tax office closures in HMRC, to work with other countries to eradicate tax dodging practices, such as trade mis-pricing, and to promote transparency through country-by-country reporting by companies on the tax they owe, to abolish all UK tax havens, to prosecute those corporate executives, lawyers and accountants for profit laundering and tax dodging, and to use the taxes collected to help fund vital public services in the UK and in developing countries.

That this House notes that the UK plays a major role in tax dodging, with many of the world's tax havens being British dependencies or territories, and with many tax lawyers and accountants working in the City of London; believes that companies have a social responsibility to pay their fair...

That this House notes BP's profits announcement of ??6.8 billion in the third quarter of 2008, which represents a 148 per cent. increase in the rate of profit; further notes that this amounts to ??70 million in profit per day or ??3 million per hour; believes this to be an obscene level of profiteering; and therefore calls on the Government to take action to curb this gross excess, including through the options of a windfall tax, price controls or full public ownership.

That this House notes BP's profits announcement of ??6.8 billion in the third quarter of 2008, which represents a 148 per cent. increase in the rate of profit; further notes that this amounts to ??70 million in profit per day or ??3 million per hour; believes this to be an...

That this House is appalled at the treatment of Charlie Cicirello by National Express East Anglia; notes Charlie is a key senior representative and activist for the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union; is dismayed that the company has dismissed Charlie and three other colleagues for alleged breach of procedures despite substantial evidence to the contrary; further notes that the RMT has taken such a serious view of these dismissals that it is conducting a ballot for industrial action in defence of Charlie and his three colleagues; pledges full support for the union in defence of its members; and urges the company to reconsider these cases as a matter of utmost urgency.

That this House is appalled at the treatment of Charlie Cicirello by National Express East Anglia; notes Charlie is a key senior representative and activist for the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union; is dismayed that the company has dismissed Charlie and three other colleagues for alleged breach of procedures...

That this House notes that on 9th June Lyndale Foods Limited was placed into administration; further notes that the Lyndale Chairman and Chief Executive then bought Sayers the Bakers Limited, which was only established on 1st May 2008, and to whom the profitable parts of Lyndale Foods Limited had been sold; is concerned that 450 workers have lost their jobs in this process, and another 250 at Peter Hunts remain at risk, who will have to wait six weeks for redundancy payments, which will now be paid by Government; is further concerned by the apparent conflict of interest of BDO Stoy Hayward LLP which acted both as business restructuring consultants to Lyndale and as administrators when Lyndale was deliberately put into administration; and therefore calls on the Government to close the loophole in the law that allows employers to evade their legal duties to consult and to abandon their financial responsibilities to their staff and to defraud the taxpayer in this way.

That this House notes that on 9th June Lyndale Foods Limited was placed into administration; further notes that the Lyndale Chairman and Chief Executive then bought Sayers the Bakers Limited, which was only established on 1st May 2008, and to whom the profitable parts of Lyndale Foods Limited had been...

That this House notes the announcement from media group Thomson Reuters that it plans to axe 140 journalists' jobs of which more than half are located in London and Europe; further notes that Thomson Reuters has failed to consult adequately with staff prior to the announcement despite months of requests and approaches from union representatives; is concerned about the lack of transparency surrounding the merger between Thomsons and Reuters and the absence of a clear and coherent business case outlining such a large number of job cuts; believes that Reuters employees are already working in difficult circumstances after a series of cutbacks; further believes in the importance of high-quality journalism and is anxious that poor conditions, cutbacks, inadequate pay and job uncertainty threatens this provision; and therefore urges the management to enter into meaningful dialogue with the unions representing staff immediately.

That this House notes the announcement from media group Thomson Reuters that it plans to axe 140 journalists' jobs of which more than half are located in London and Europe; further notes that Thomson Reuters has failed to consult adequately with staff prior to the announcement despite months of requests...

That this House notes with disappointment the below-inflation pay rise offered to journalists at Newsquest York; further notes that Gannett, Newsquest's US parent company, made a profit last year of over $1 billion; is concerned that the journalists at Newsquest York work hard to deliver good quality local news to the community in difficult circumstances of increasing workloads and understaffing; believes that high quality journalism is essential to any democratic society and recognises that poor conditions and inadequate pay threaten this provision; supports the strike action taken by National Union of Journalists members at Newsquest York; and urges the management to enter into meaningful dialogue with staff over pay and conditions.

That this House notes with disappointment the below-inflation pay rise offered to journalists at Newsquest York; further notes that Gannett, Newsquest's US parent company, made a profit last year of over $1 billion; is concerned that the journalists at Newsquest York work hard to deliver good quality local news to...