The UK government will announce legislation in the coming days to allow employers to fire striking workers in essential sectors and sue trade unions if they fail to provide a minimum level of service, a person familiar with the matter said.
(Bloomberg) — The UK government will announce legislation in the coming days to allow employers to fire striking workers in essential sectors and sue trade unions if they fail to provide a minimum level of service, a person familiar with the matter said.
The laws were promised late last year by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in response to a wave of industrial action over the winter that has seen nurses, ambulance drivers and rail staff go on strike.
Sectors covered by the new law will include the National Health Service, the railways, teachers, the fire brigade and the nuclear sector, according to the person, who spoke anonymously about plans that haven’t been finalized. If staff and unions fail to provide a minimum service level across those areas, they could face legal action or dismissal for breach of contract, the person said.
The legislation could be introduced to Parliament as soon as next week. The Times was first to report the story.
Britain has been beset by a growing wave of strikes that in December may have resulted in the biggest monthly loss of working days to industrial action since 1989, when Margaret Thatcher was in power. They include the first ever national strike by nurses, protesting at pay that’s failing to keep pace with soaring inflation.
The government expects some opposition to the legislation in the House of Lords, where some peers may seek to water down its provisions, while trade unions may seek to oppose it in the courts.
Labour leader Keir Starmer — whose party enjoys a double-digit lead in the polls — told reporters on Thursday that he would repeal the laws if he becomes prime minister.
“If it’s further restrictions, then we will repeal it,” Starmer said. “I don’t think the legislation is going to work,” he added, saying he suspected the government had received advice showing it was “likely to make a bad situation worse”.
(Updates with potential obstacles in sixth paragraph.)
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