The UK government will table legislation setting minimum service levels in essential sectors in January and invite unions to new talks to discuss public sector pay deals in 2023-24.
The law would enforce a minimum level of services for fire, ambulance and rail services, and a bill would be tabled in Parliament in the coming weeks, the Department for Enterprise, Energy and Industrial Strategy said in a Jan. 5 statement.
The bill would also cover healthcare, education, nuclear decommissioning and border security, although service levels in these areas would be based on voluntary agreements, the statement said.
At the same time, as part of an apparent carrot-and-stick approach, the government announced that it would invite union leaders to talks about next year’s public sector wage settlements. Discussions would be held on issues such as pay slips, workload and conditions, the government said.
The statement did not refer to an offer of higher pay this year that unions had called for, but called on them to cancel forthcoming strikes while talks took place.
‘Undemocratic’
Britain, the world’s sixth largest economy, is being gripped by an increasingly destructive wave of strikes. In the latest work stoppage, several train operators were unable to operate services to or from London on January 5 due to a strike by train drivers’ union Aslef. Office occupancy in London plummeted to just over 20% during work shutdowns earlier this week, compared to more than 50% on Tuesdays in November.
Data from the Office for National Statistics also showed that more than a quarter of companies affected by strikes said they were unable to source the products their business needed. The figures were from November, before the industrial dispute escalated in December.
December was possibly the largest monthly loss of working days to industrial action since 1989, when Margaret Thatcher was in power. This includes the first nationwide strike by nurses protesting pay that is failing to keep up with rising inflation.
Pat Cullen, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said in a statement that while her union will meet with ministers, only negotiations could avert a planned strike later in the month. Commenting on the proposed law, she said: “Restricting workers’ freedom to engage in lawful labor disputes is always undemocratic and we will closely monitor what the government publishes.”
threat of termination
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak first touted anti-strike laws late last year in response to industrial action that also saw nurses and ambulance drivers on strike.
The legislation would allow employers to sack striking workers in key sectors and sue unions if they fail to provide a minimum level of service, a person familiar with the matter said. The British newspaper Times first reported the story.
The government expects some opposition to the legislation in the House of Lords, where some colleagues may seek to water down their provisions, while unions may seek to challenge it in court. While the House of Lords is unable to prevent bills from being passed, it can delay bills and force the lower chamber, the House of Commons, to reconsider its decisions.
“We value the work of our public services very much and we are reaching out to unions to have an honest conversation about wages, working conditions and reform,” UK Business Secretary Grant Shapps said in the statement.
Starmer
“Industrial action is disruptive to everyone – from people who depend on essential services to get to work or support their families, to hard-working business owners whose bottom lines are suffering. It is also costing the strikers at a time when family budgets are tight.”
Opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer – whose party enjoys a double-digit lead in the polls – told reporters on January 5 that he would repeal the laws if he became prime minister.
“If there are more restrictions, we will lift them,” Starmer said. “I don’t think the legislation will work,” he added, saying he suspects the government received advice that showed it was “likely to make a bad situation worse”.
Sharon Graham, general secretary of the Unite union, accused Sunak of “foolish pretense and games”, while UNISON health chief Sara Gorton accused the government of “picking rash fights with NHS workers”.
