Human rights organisation Amnesty International has told workers based outside the UK they will no longer have the right to remain members of the UK-based Unite union.

As part of the same move, union members at the International Secretariat in London have been given three months to agree these new terms or face derecognition.

The announcement was made by the senior management at the Amnesty’s International Secretariat, the body that leads the global work of the organisation. In practice, this means that many of its staff based outside of London will have less protection when it comes to their labour rights.

The move would affect Amnesty staff in Beirut, Dakar, Paris, Moscow, Geneva, Hong Kong, Kampala, and New York.

Unite, which has represented Amnesty workers since 1973, has expressed their willingness to engage in discussions.

However, they warned they cannot enter discussions while Amnesty’s management is holding a 'gun to the heads of its staff members' by threatening them with derecognition of their union.

Unite Regional Officer, Alan Scott said: "The irony of a human rights organisation denying its own employees trade union recognition won’t be lost on governments hostile to the work of Amnesty."

Amnesty International secretary general Salil Shetty told staff that he would get a “second opinion” on representation for staff outside London.

He stressed that senior management are “fully behind the right of all staff to collective bargaining and union membership”.

Unite members are waiting to hear if this means the threat of derecognition will be lifted so that talks can begin.

In reply, Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, commented: “We are fully behind the right of all staff to collective bargaining and union membership. This is equally true for staff that are based in London and outside.

"As I said to the Union, there is no doubt in my mind that Amnesty's greatest asset is our staff, volunteers and members, who have joined the movement because they want to protect human rights across the world.

"We provided a new draft collective bargaining agreement last Wednesday to be negotiated with the Union over the next three months. We look forward to having a clearer and better functioning relationship with the Union with this new agreement at the earliest.

"I strongly believe that it is the job of all of us in leadership positions in the International Secretariat to enable all staff to contribute fully to Amnesty’s goals.”

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