Martin Austermuhle
British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Labour Party boasts that one of its many accomplishments is that 200,000 more workers are now in recognized trade unions than were in the past — yet the 630 non-diplomatic employees at British embassies and consulates in the United States may soon be denied that very right.
In the wake of cutbacks in sick leave and other such benefits in January, those employees voted to join the Silver Spring-based International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, only to be stymied by British officials who argue that U.S. labor law does not apply to foreign embassies, reports the New York Times. John Sweeney, president of the 13-million member AFL-CIO, pointed out this apparent contradiction:
I’m rather surprised because the British government says it supports the freedom of workers to join unions to improve their lives, and I think this freedom should extend to their embassy staff.
This labor dispute may affect some of the approximately 500 people who work at the British Embassy in Washington on Massachusetts Avenue NW, yet DCist doesn’t expect to see picket lines outside the Ambassador’s stately residence next door anytime soon.
