ISU (trade union)
The ISU is a British trade union representing representing the majority of operational staff in the Borders, Customs and Immigration functions of the Home Office.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
The union was founded in 1981 as the Immigration Service Union. It was a split from the Society of Civil and Public Servants (SCPS),[8] founded in protest at the SCPS calling for the repeal of the Immigration Act 1971.[9]
The ISU is politically independent and not a member of the Trades Union Congress. PCS, the SCPS's successor, sees ISU as a yellow union, as some senior managers encouraged its splitting off, although its independence has been certified by the Certification Officer.[10][11]
Membership of the union reached 4,263 in 2006,[11] but, in common with all Civil Service unions, fell after the ending of payroll wage check-off (subscriptions automatically deducted where workers have ticked to confirm they wish to be in any recognised union to their employer) in 2015.[12] It declined to 3,018 in that year.[13] In 2020, membership stood at 3,043.[14] By 2022, ISU membership stood at 3803. [15]
The ISU does not generally take industrial action.[16] In 2012, ISU members followed other public sector unions in agreeing to strike against changes to civil service pensions.[17] This vote resulted in a rapid climbdown on the pension cuts plans.[18][19] Similarly, planned heavy-handed tactics to stem irregular, dangerous, very small vessel immigration have also been the subject of polls for some form of industrial action in 2022.[20]
General Secretaries[edit]
- 1981: P. J. Taylor
- 1997: Martin Slade
- 2003: Peter Stowe
- 2010: Paul Duckhouse
- 2013: Lucy Moreton
- 2019: Mark Gribbin
References[edit]
- ^ "About us". ISU.
- ^ Commons Home Affairs Select Committee: Fourth Report of Session 2019–21
- ^ Commons Home Affairs Select Committee: Fifth Report of Session 2012–13
- ^ Commons Home Affairs Select Committee: Sixth Report of Session 2012–13
- ^ List of witnesses and job title, Commons Home Affairs Select Committee hearing - the Windrush Generation hearings 25 April 2018
- ^ "ISU Membership Circular 20.04.18".
- ^ All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus 3-page findings: COVID-19 Variants, International Travel and Border Policy - May 2021
- ^ Steve Cohen, Immigration Controls, the Family and the Welfare State, p.321
- ^ Steve Cohen, Deportation is Freedom!, p.130
- ^ "Trade unions: The current list and schedule".
- ^ a b John B. Smethurst and Peter Carter, Historical Directory of Trade Unions, vol.6, p.450
- ^ https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2015-03-10/debates/15031024000003/TradeUnionReform(CivilService) [bare URL]
- ^ ISU's audited Annual Return, year ending 31 December 2015"
- ^ ISU's audited Annual Return, year ending 31 December 2020 at page P2, note: submitted to the Certification Officer, certified, and republished by the UK government, see 1.
- ^ ISU's audited Annual Return, year ending 31 December 2022 at page P2, note: submitted to the Certification Officer, certified, and republished by the UK government, see 1.
- ^ Susan Corby and Geoff White, Employee Relations in the Public Services: Themes and Issues
- ^ Alan Travis, "Immigration workers to join civil service pension strike", The Guardian, 2 May 2012
- ^ "UK: Passport staff at London Heathrow Airport call off planned industrial action April 1–7 /Update 1".
- ^ "Public sector strike action begins". BBC News.
- ^ "UK Border Force could strike over Channel 'pushback' plan". TheGuardian.com. 5 January 2022.