CERTIFICATION OFFICER'S LEVY ON TRADE UNIONS

That this House is gravely concerned that the Government's proposals for a Certification Officer's levy on trade unions would result in unions having fewer resources to represent their members, a reduced capacity to negotiate better jobs and working conditions for working people, and a diminished ability to take enforcement action against bad employers; does not believe that the functions delivered by the Certification Officer should be recoverable by the proposed levy, which is both unnecessary and out of proportion to the reality of the current system; notes that the current proposal effectively create a flat-rate charge for all unions with an annual income of over £900,000, and does not account for the varying budgets and existing resources of those organisations; further notes that the proposed division of costs between the various types of organisations regulated by the Certification Office is unjust and greater clarity needs to be provided on the rise in costs, since the Certification Officer's income is set to more than treble; and therefore calls on the Government to consider retaining the existing funding arrangements, or at least to ensure that any system of levies treats unions and employers equally, and ensure that all levied organisations are required to pay at a level that is broadly proportionate to their income.