UK
Angry Worcester trade union says proposed anti-strike Bill 'attacks working people'
Charlotte Albutt
Tue, 17 January 2023
Worcester Trades Union Council hits back at new legislation. (Image: WTUC)
Angry trade unions have hit back at the new proposed strike law which they argue "attacks" the working people.
Worcester Trade Union said the Government is restricting the right to strike and the proposed law should "ring alarm bells in everyone's ears".
The controversial anti-strike legislation cleared its first hurdle as the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill was considered in the House of Commons on Monday evening (January 16).
However, Worcester's MP Robin Walker defended the proposed legislation saying it does not restrict the right to strike but does set minimum service levels which have to be in place.
The proposed legislation will require union members from key services to continue working to retain a "minimum level" of service during set strike days.
A spokesperson for the Worcester Trade Union Council said: "In response to the Government’s intent to restrict the right to strike, Worcester Trades Union Council, as part of a national TUC campaign, will be organising activities to draw public attention to the threat to workers’ rights.
"The right to withdraw one’s labour in order to defend jobs, pay and conditions is a fundamental human right.
"This latest attack by the Government on working people should sound alarm bells for us all."
Worcester News:
The sectors affected if the law is passed would be health, education, fire and rescue and transport services.
The government said the proposed legislation aims to prevent public lives from being put at risk.
If employees are not compliant with the new legislation they may risk losing their jobs if they do not work when required.
MP Robin Walker said: “The proposed legislation does not restrict the right to strike but it does set minimum service levels which have to be in place when strike action affects essential public services.
"This is not an unreasonable requirement and is in place in many other countries.
"I would always urge both government and the unions to engage as much as possible in order to avoid strikes and during my time as a minister I kept up a useful and constructive dialogue with trades unions.
"However the public expects the Government to protect essential public services and I think it is right that we do so.”Protesters brave freeze to demonstrate against controversial anti-strike Bill
Nina Lloyd, PA
Mon, 16 January 2023
Thousands of protesters have braved sub-zero temperatures to demonstrate outside Downing Street against a controversial new Bill restricting the right to strike.
Mick Lynch, leader of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, and a number of Labour backbenchers and the SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn were among those gathered on Monday evening.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union and Unison were also present at the demonstration, which coincided with the second reading of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill in Parliament.
Mick Lynch and Eddie Dempsey of the RMT with former
Anti-strike bill moves one step closer to law - hours after new walkouts announced
Mon, 16 January 2023
A controversial anti-strike bill has moved a step closer to becoming law - hours after teachers and nurses announced fresh walkouts.
Under the government's draft Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, the right to strike would be restricted by imposing minimum service levels and bosses would be legally able to fire employees who ignore a "work notice" ordering them to work on days of industrial action.
The statute passed its second reading in parliament after MPs backed the legislation by 309 votes to 249 - a majority of 60.
As the bill was debated in the Commons, it was announced that the first strikes by teachers since 2016 will take place in February and March, while nurses also announced two further days of industrial action next month.
Meanwhile, ambulance workers are expected to announce up to six more strike dates on Wednesday.
Anti-strike law 'indefensible and foolish'
During the Commons debate on the strikes bill, Business Secretary Grant Shapps said the legislation "does not seek to ban the right to strike", adding: "The government will always defend the principle that workers should be able to withdraw their labour."
Also, former home secretary Priti Patel suggested ministers should "look at widening the list of sectors where minimum service standards are needed" as the wave of industrial action continues across the UK.
Under the proposed legislation, the government will get the power to set minimum safety levels for fire, ambulance and rail services in England, Wales and Scotland.
They would also have the power to set minimum levels of service for health, education, nuclear decommissioning and border security - but the business department said ministers "expect to continue to reach voluntary agreements" with these sectors.
However, Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner described the bill as "one of the most indefensible and foolish pieces of legislation to come before this House in modern times".
Read more: No 10 sticking to its guns on strikes but is this sustainable? - Beth Rigby analysis
Teachers to strike on seven days in February and March
Thousands of teachers are set to walk out of classrooms over pay after the National Education Union (NEU) reached the threshold required to take strike action.
The largest education union had organised a ballot of 300,000 members in England and Wales, calling for a "fully funded, above-inflation pay rise".
Nine out of 10 teacher members of the union voted for strike action and the union passed the 50% ballot turnout required by law to take industrial action.
The NEU said the vote shows teachers are not prepared to "stand by" and see the education service "sacrificed" due to "a toxic mix of low pay and excessive workload".
The union declared seven days of walkouts in February and March - on 1, 14 and 28 February and 1, 2, 15 and 16 March - with the first day of strikes on 1 February expected to affect 23,000 schools in England and Wales.
Read more: Strikes this month - who is taking action and when
In a statement, Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the NEU, said: "We regret having to take strike action, and are willing to enter into negotiations at any time, any place, but this situation cannot go on."
Agency staff and volunteers could be used to cover classes, with schools expected to remain open where possible and the most vulnerable pupils given priority - according to updated guidance issued by the Department for Education.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan described the strike action as "deeply disappointing for children and parents".
But headteachers in England will not stage walkouts after the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) union ballot turnout failed to meet the 50% legal threshold.
The union said it will consider re-running the ballot due to postal disruption.
Nurses announce two more strike days
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in England are due to strike on Wednesday and Thursday this week.
The union has said its members will also walk out on 6 and 7 February.
In an escalation of industrial action, more NHS trusts in England will take part than during the two previous days of strikes in December - with the number increasing from 55 to 73.
Some 12 health boards and organisations in Wales will also take part in the two consecutive days of strikes.
The two days of industrial action by nurses in trusts across England and Wales in December led to the cancellation of thousands of hospital appointments and operations.
It is expected that the health service will run a bank holiday-style service in many areas during the strike action.
Read more: Nursing union threatens biggest walkout to date
Downing Street called the announcement of further strike dates by nurses "deeply regrettable".
But RCN chief executive Pat Cullen said nurses are taking the measures "with a heavy heart".
"My olive branch to government - asking them to meet me halfway and begin negotiations - is still there. They should grab it," she said in a statement.
The RCN had initially demanded a pay increase of up to 19% to cover soaring inflation and falls in real term wages over the past decade.
But earlier this month, Ms Cullen said she could accept a pay rise of about 10% to end its ongoing dispute with the government.
Elsewhere, the GMB union is expected to announce further ambulance worker strike dates this Wednesday, Sky News understands.
Up to six more dates are being discussed after talks with Health Secretary Steve Barclay last week broke down.
The government continues to insist that pay claims are unaffordable and is sticking to its belief that wage rises should be decided by pay review bodies.
Charlotte Albutt
Tue, 17 January 2023
Worcester Trades Union Council hits back at new legislation. (Image: WTUC)
Angry trade unions have hit back at the new proposed strike law which they argue "attacks" the working people.
Worcester Trade Union said the Government is restricting the right to strike and the proposed law should "ring alarm bells in everyone's ears".
The controversial anti-strike legislation cleared its first hurdle as the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill was considered in the House of Commons on Monday evening (January 16).
However, Worcester's MP Robin Walker defended the proposed legislation saying it does not restrict the right to strike but does set minimum service levels which have to be in place.
The proposed legislation will require union members from key services to continue working to retain a "minimum level" of service during set strike days.
A spokesperson for the Worcester Trade Union Council said: "In response to the Government’s intent to restrict the right to strike, Worcester Trades Union Council, as part of a national TUC campaign, will be organising activities to draw public attention to the threat to workers’ rights.
"The right to withdraw one’s labour in order to defend jobs, pay and conditions is a fundamental human right.
"This latest attack by the Government on working people should sound alarm bells for us all."
Worcester News:
The sectors affected if the law is passed would be health, education, fire and rescue and transport services.
The government said the proposed legislation aims to prevent public lives from being put at risk.
If employees are not compliant with the new legislation they may risk losing their jobs if they do not work when required.
MP Robin Walker said: “The proposed legislation does not restrict the right to strike but it does set minimum service levels which have to be in place when strike action affects essential public services.
"This is not an unreasonable requirement and is in place in many other countries.
"I would always urge both government and the unions to engage as much as possible in order to avoid strikes and during my time as a minister I kept up a useful and constructive dialogue with trades unions.
"However the public expects the Government to protect essential public services and I think it is right that we do so.”
Nina Lloyd, PA
Mon, 16 January 2023
Thousands of protesters have braved sub-zero temperatures to demonstrate outside Downing Street against a controversial new Bill restricting the right to strike.
Mick Lynch, leader of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, and a number of Labour backbenchers and the SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn were among those gathered on Monday evening.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union and Unison were also present at the demonstration, which coincided with the second reading of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill in Parliament.
Mick Lynch and Eddie Dempsey of the RMT with former
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)
The legislation would see the right to strike restricted by imposing minimum service levels.
Bosses would be legally able to fire employees who ignore a notice requiring them to work on days of industrial action.
Protesters chanted “f*** the Tories” and “the people united will never be divided” and others banged drums as they gathered in Westminster.
Addressing protesters, Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, said she was “keeping warm” by thinking about how National Education Union (NEU) teachers had earlier voted to strike.
“It’s absolutely freezing but you know what’s keeping me warm? The NEU just smashed their ballot,” she told the crowd.
“Picket lines, democracy, we are the champions of them and we are not going to accept any extra conditions on our ability to do that.”
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Labour MPs Zara Sultana and Bell Ribeiro-Addy were among speakers to address crowds from a podium on Whitehall.
Mr Corbyn condemned “disgusting levels of inequality” in Britain under the Tory Government, while Ms Ribeiro-Addy, having come straight from Parliament, said the Bill’s introduction in the Commons had been “absolutely disgraceful”.
“All we heard from the minister was lies, deceit and utter contempt for our public service workers,” she told protesters.
Clare Keenan, from the PCS, described the Bill as an “attack on my human rights and those of my fellow workers”.
She said: “You can’t make people go to work five days a week and having to use food banks and removing their ability to protest.
“It’s just a hurdle that they’re putting in the way to stop workers from taking industrial action.”
Retired George Hallam, who attended to show solidarity with workers, likened the Bill to anti-strike action under Margaret Thatcher’s government.
He said: “I think the Government is chancing its arm because the last time it tried something like this was the 1970s.
“It’s worse than a sin, it’s a mistake, because they’re likely to get a bloody nose like they did back then.”
The legislation would see the right to strike restricted by imposing minimum service levels.
Bosses would be legally able to fire employees who ignore a notice requiring them to work on days of industrial action.
Protesters chanted “f*** the Tories” and “the people united will never be divided” and others banged drums as they gathered in Westminster.
Addressing protesters, Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, said she was “keeping warm” by thinking about how National Education Union (NEU) teachers had earlier voted to strike.
“It’s absolutely freezing but you know what’s keeping me warm? The NEU just smashed their ballot,” she told the crowd.
“Picket lines, democracy, we are the champions of them and we are not going to accept any extra conditions on our ability to do that.”
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Labour MPs Zara Sultana and Bell Ribeiro-Addy were among speakers to address crowds from a podium on Whitehall.
Mr Corbyn condemned “disgusting levels of inequality” in Britain under the Tory Government, while Ms Ribeiro-Addy, having come straight from Parliament, said the Bill’s introduction in the Commons had been “absolutely disgraceful”.
“All we heard from the minister was lies, deceit and utter contempt for our public service workers,” she told protesters.
Clare Keenan, from the PCS, described the Bill as an “attack on my human rights and those of my fellow workers”.
She said: “You can’t make people go to work five days a week and having to use food banks and removing their ability to protest.
“It’s just a hurdle that they’re putting in the way to stop workers from taking industrial action.”
Retired George Hallam, who attended to show solidarity with workers, likened the Bill to anti-strike action under Margaret Thatcher’s government.
He said: “I think the Government is chancing its arm because the last time it tried something like this was the 1970s.
“It’s worse than a sin, it’s a mistake, because they’re likely to get a bloody nose like they did back then.”
Mon, 16 January 2023
A controversial anti-strike bill has moved a step closer to becoming law - hours after teachers and nurses announced fresh walkouts.
Under the government's draft Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, the right to strike would be restricted by imposing minimum service levels and bosses would be legally able to fire employees who ignore a "work notice" ordering them to work on days of industrial action.
The statute passed its second reading in parliament after MPs backed the legislation by 309 votes to 249 - a majority of 60.
As the bill was debated in the Commons, it was announced that the first strikes by teachers since 2016 will take place in February and March, while nurses also announced two further days of industrial action next month.
Meanwhile, ambulance workers are expected to announce up to six more strike dates on Wednesday.
Anti-strike law 'indefensible and foolish'
During the Commons debate on the strikes bill, Business Secretary Grant Shapps said the legislation "does not seek to ban the right to strike", adding: "The government will always defend the principle that workers should be able to withdraw their labour."
Also, former home secretary Priti Patel suggested ministers should "look at widening the list of sectors where minimum service standards are needed" as the wave of industrial action continues across the UK.
Under the proposed legislation, the government will get the power to set minimum safety levels for fire, ambulance and rail services in England, Wales and Scotland.
They would also have the power to set minimum levels of service for health, education, nuclear decommissioning and border security - but the business department said ministers "expect to continue to reach voluntary agreements" with these sectors.
However, Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner described the bill as "one of the most indefensible and foolish pieces of legislation to come before this House in modern times".
Read more: No 10 sticking to its guns on strikes but is this sustainable? - Beth Rigby analysis
Teachers to strike on seven days in February and March
Thousands of teachers are set to walk out of classrooms over pay after the National Education Union (NEU) reached the threshold required to take strike action.
The largest education union had organised a ballot of 300,000 members in England and Wales, calling for a "fully funded, above-inflation pay rise".
Nine out of 10 teacher members of the union voted for strike action and the union passed the 50% ballot turnout required by law to take industrial action.
The NEU said the vote shows teachers are not prepared to "stand by" and see the education service "sacrificed" due to "a toxic mix of low pay and excessive workload".
The union declared seven days of walkouts in February and March - on 1, 14 and 28 February and 1, 2, 15 and 16 March - with the first day of strikes on 1 February expected to affect 23,000 schools in England and Wales.
Read more: Strikes this month - who is taking action and when
In a statement, Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the NEU, said: "We regret having to take strike action, and are willing to enter into negotiations at any time, any place, but this situation cannot go on."
Agency staff and volunteers could be used to cover classes, with schools expected to remain open where possible and the most vulnerable pupils given priority - according to updated guidance issued by the Department for Education.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan described the strike action as "deeply disappointing for children and parents".
But headteachers in England will not stage walkouts after the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) union ballot turnout failed to meet the 50% legal threshold.
The union said it will consider re-running the ballot due to postal disruption.
Nurses announce two more strike days
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in England are due to strike on Wednesday and Thursday this week.
The union has said its members will also walk out on 6 and 7 February.
In an escalation of industrial action, more NHS trusts in England will take part than during the two previous days of strikes in December - with the number increasing from 55 to 73.
Some 12 health boards and organisations in Wales will also take part in the two consecutive days of strikes.
The two days of industrial action by nurses in trusts across England and Wales in December led to the cancellation of thousands of hospital appointments and operations.
It is expected that the health service will run a bank holiday-style service in many areas during the strike action.
Read more: Nursing union threatens biggest walkout to date
Downing Street called the announcement of further strike dates by nurses "deeply regrettable".
But RCN chief executive Pat Cullen said nurses are taking the measures "with a heavy heart".
"My olive branch to government - asking them to meet me halfway and begin negotiations - is still there. They should grab it," she said in a statement.
The RCN had initially demanded a pay increase of up to 19% to cover soaring inflation and falls in real term wages over the past decade.
But earlier this month, Ms Cullen said she could accept a pay rise of about 10% to end its ongoing dispute with the government.
Elsewhere, the GMB union is expected to announce further ambulance worker strike dates this Wednesday, Sky News understands.
Up to six more dates are being discussed after talks with Health Secretary Steve Barclay last week broke down.
The government continues to insist that pay claims are unaffordable and is sticking to its belief that wage rises should be decided by pay review bodies.
It’s obvious there’s a deal to be done with the unions – except to Shapps and Sunak
John Crace
John Crace
THE GUARDIAN
Mon, 16 January 2023
Grant Shapps British politician
You’d have thought there was a fairly simple way for the government to resolve the current strikes. Negotiate. After all, it’s obvious to everyone that there’s a deal to be done somewhere between what the unions are asking for and what ministers are currently offering. And that’s where we’ll inevitably end up. It’s a no-brainer.
Except to Grant Shapps and Rishi Sunak. They see things rather differently. They have eyed up the nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, teachers and railway workers and seen a militant collective of hard-hearted killers. People who will strike just for the hell of it. People who would rather go without a day’s pay because they quite like making people’s lives a misery. People who enjoy inflicting anxiety and suffering on the country.
At least that was the subtext running through Shapps’ opening remarks for the second reading of the government’s anti-strike legislation. He began by trying to sound conciliatory. Or as close as someone who would cross the road to pick a fight can get. Of course he supported people’s right to strike. In theory. But in practice, not so much. At least not these groups of workers. And not at this time. Maybe in a parallel universe.
But here was the thing. The government was beset by coincidences. It was a coincidence that the UK was going through one of the worst cost of living crises after 13 years of Tory rule. And it was a coincidence that so many different professions were going on strike at the same time. So now was the right time for some legislation to make sure there was a minimum level of service. And if the unions didn’t accept that, then workers would get sacked. Hey. Makes a change from clapping nurses. That was so 2020.
While the Tory benches were almost empty – either Conservative MPs aren’t that interested in resolving the strikes or they aren’t prepared to defend their government’s handling of the crisis – the Labour benches were full. And their backbenchers had plenty to say in interventions.
Was Shapps bothered that even Human Rights Watch had said this was an attack on workers’ rights? Did he know that nurses and ambulance drivers had already agreed minimum safety levels on their strike days? Shapps merely shook his head. He’s never found a truth he’s not prepared to publicly deny. Could he point to anyone who had died as a result of the industrial action? And more and more of the same. The anger and the incredulity was heartfelt. The government had never felt so cheap. And vindictive. Which was saying something.
Shapps merely smirked and pointed out every speaker’s affiliation to a trade union. As if that proved anything. Labour’s Chris Bryant said he’d be proud to be funded by a union. Better that than some Russian oligarch. Or some distant relative you can’t even remember, for that matter. The nub of this was, the legislation wasn’t going to solve the current strikes. It would come into force far too late. So it was just some kind of distraction to keep the Tory anti-union fires burning. A pointless diversion.
Angela Rayner came out fighting. Labour’s deputy leader regretted Shapps’ condescending tone. Not his fault. He doesn’t have another. Where was the admission that it was Liz Truss and the Tories who had made the economic crisis so much worse? Where was the acceptance that the strikes weren’t just about pay? They were about sectors that were already operating at unsafe levels due to government underfunding. Try sacking nurses when there were already 131,000 vacancies in the NHS.
And where were the impact assessments? Hadn’t the most recent ones suggested that the legislation would be a total waste of time? Would make things worse. Shapps again just shrugged. It was like this. It was Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. The impact assessments could just be a tipping point into a total meltdown. So it was the government’s responsibility to make everything much safer by not bothering with them. That way, there was at least a chance things could work out OK.
Few Tories bothered to intervene on Rayner. Unsurprising when she’s in this sort of mood. Labour MPs behind her and right on her side. Those Conservatives that did soon regretted it. One suggested that if we could get away with underpaying the army and the police and still deny them the right to strike, then nurses and ambulance drivers should just shut up and get on with it. Winning hearts and minds. Someone should tell him that some of his constituents are nurses and ambulance drivers.
Another merely pleaded for Rayner to say what pay rise she would negotiate with the nurses. Game, set and match. She not so gently pointed out that Labour was not in power and wasn’t invited to the negotiating table. But too much more of this and you’d think the Tories have a death wish.
Mon, 16 January 2023
Grant Shapps British politician
You’d have thought there was a fairly simple way for the government to resolve the current strikes. Negotiate. After all, it’s obvious to everyone that there’s a deal to be done somewhere between what the unions are asking for and what ministers are currently offering. And that’s where we’ll inevitably end up. It’s a no-brainer.
Except to Grant Shapps and Rishi Sunak. They see things rather differently. They have eyed up the nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, teachers and railway workers and seen a militant collective of hard-hearted killers. People who will strike just for the hell of it. People who would rather go without a day’s pay because they quite like making people’s lives a misery. People who enjoy inflicting anxiety and suffering on the country.
At least that was the subtext running through Shapps’ opening remarks for the second reading of the government’s anti-strike legislation. He began by trying to sound conciliatory. Or as close as someone who would cross the road to pick a fight can get. Of course he supported people’s right to strike. In theory. But in practice, not so much. At least not these groups of workers. And not at this time. Maybe in a parallel universe.
But here was the thing. The government was beset by coincidences. It was a coincidence that the UK was going through one of the worst cost of living crises after 13 years of Tory rule. And it was a coincidence that so many different professions were going on strike at the same time. So now was the right time for some legislation to make sure there was a minimum level of service. And if the unions didn’t accept that, then workers would get sacked. Hey. Makes a change from clapping nurses. That was so 2020.
While the Tory benches were almost empty – either Conservative MPs aren’t that interested in resolving the strikes or they aren’t prepared to defend their government’s handling of the crisis – the Labour benches were full. And their backbenchers had plenty to say in interventions.
Was Shapps bothered that even Human Rights Watch had said this was an attack on workers’ rights? Did he know that nurses and ambulance drivers had already agreed minimum safety levels on their strike days? Shapps merely shook his head. He’s never found a truth he’s not prepared to publicly deny. Could he point to anyone who had died as a result of the industrial action? And more and more of the same. The anger and the incredulity was heartfelt. The government had never felt so cheap. And vindictive. Which was saying something.
Shapps merely smirked and pointed out every speaker’s affiliation to a trade union. As if that proved anything. Labour’s Chris Bryant said he’d be proud to be funded by a union. Better that than some Russian oligarch. Or some distant relative you can’t even remember, for that matter. The nub of this was, the legislation wasn’t going to solve the current strikes. It would come into force far too late. So it was just some kind of distraction to keep the Tory anti-union fires burning. A pointless diversion.
Angela Rayner came out fighting. Labour’s deputy leader regretted Shapps’ condescending tone. Not his fault. He doesn’t have another. Where was the admission that it was Liz Truss and the Tories who had made the economic crisis so much worse? Where was the acceptance that the strikes weren’t just about pay? They were about sectors that were already operating at unsafe levels due to government underfunding. Try sacking nurses when there were already 131,000 vacancies in the NHS.
And where were the impact assessments? Hadn’t the most recent ones suggested that the legislation would be a total waste of time? Would make things worse. Shapps again just shrugged. It was like this. It was Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. The impact assessments could just be a tipping point into a total meltdown. So it was the government’s responsibility to make everything much safer by not bothering with them. That way, there was at least a chance things could work out OK.
Few Tories bothered to intervene on Rayner. Unsurprising when she’s in this sort of mood. Labour MPs behind her and right on her side. Those Conservatives that did soon regretted it. One suggested that if we could get away with underpaying the army and the police and still deny them the right to strike, then nurses and ambulance drivers should just shut up and get on with it. Winning hearts and minds. Someone should tell him that some of his constituents are nurses and ambulance drivers.
Another merely pleaded for Rayner to say what pay rise she would negotiate with the nurses. Game, set and match. She not so gently pointed out that Labour was not in power and wasn’t invited to the negotiating table. But too much more of this and you’d think the Tories have a death wish.
Exclusive: Grant Shapps Slammed By Government Watchdog Over Anti-Strike Law
Kevin Schofield
Mon, 16 January 2023
Nurses Sarah Donnelly (left) and Nicola Joyce on the picket line outside the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, as nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland take industrial action over pay. Picture date: Tuesday December 20, 2022.
Kevin Schofield
Mon, 16 January 2023
Nurses Sarah Donnelly (left) and Nicola Joyce on the picket line outside the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, as nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland take industrial action over pay. Picture date: Tuesday December 20, 2022.
Nurses Sarah Donnelly (left) and Nicola Joyce on the picket line outside the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, as nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland take industrial action over pay. Picture date: Tuesday December 20, 2022.
A top watchdog has slammed the government over a new law which would make it harder for public sector workers to go on strike.
The regulatory policy committee (RPC), which analyses new pieces of legislation, has condemned business secretary Grant Shapps for failing to set out the impact of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill.
Labour accused Shapps of “a complete dereliction of ministerial duty”.
The proposed law was introduced to parliament on January 10 and MPs will vote on it tonight.
It would force NHS staff, firefighters and railway workers to ensure that they are able to provide minimum service levels during industrial action.
If they failed to do so, they would potentially face the sack.
Both Labour and trade unions have condemned the bill as an attack on the right to take strike action.
In a damning statement published today, the RPC condemned the department for business, energy and industrial strategy’s failure to publish an impact assessment (IA) before the bill came to parliament.
They said: “We provide an independent opinion to assist both final ministerial decision-making and parliamentary scrutiny of regulatory legislation.
“We publish these when it is appropriate to do so, both to assist parliamentarians and so that the process is transparent to external stakeholders.
“Government departments are expected to submit IAs to the RPC before the relevant bill is laid before parliament and in time for the RPC to issue an opinion.
“An IA for this bill has not yet been submitted for RPC scrutiny; nor has one been published despite the bill being currently considered by parliament.”
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “Grant Shapps has failed to do due diligence on this shoddy, unworkable bill.
“It’s a complete dereliction of ministerial duty. Government consultations on how these sweeping powers would be used have not been published, MPs have been given no details on how minimum service levels would operate, and ministers have broken their own rules by utterly failing to produce an impact assessment.
“It’s little wonder they are trying to rush this legislation through parliament because not one bit of it stands up to scrutiny.”
Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC, said: “It’s shameful that MPs are being asked to vote blind on a bill that will have far-reaching consequences for millions of workers.
“The government is deliberately railroading through this spiteful legislation to avoid proper parliamentary scrutiny.”
Whitehall sources said the impact assessment will be published “in due course”.
A government spokesperson said: “We must keep the public safe, which is why we are introducing minimum service and safety levels across a range of sectors to ensure that lives and livelihoods are not lost.”
Tory MP brands government’s anti-strike bill ‘shameful'
Nadine Batchelor-Hunt
·Political Correspondent, Yahoo News UK
Mon, 16 January 2023
A Tory MP has described the government's new anti-strike legislation as 'shameful'
MPs are set to vote on new legislation that will impose a minimum level of service in certain public sectors
Unions have accused the government of moving to 'make effective strike action illegal'
Read more on the row over strikes below
Trade unions have criticised the government's new bill that would see the right to strike heavily curtailed for certain public sectors. (PA)
A Conservative MP has described the government's new attempt to curtail the rights of workers to strike as "shameful".
On Monday, MPs will vote on controversial legislation that would curtail the right of hundreds of thousands of public sector worker by imposing a legal duty of a minimum level of service on strike days.
Rishi Sunak has previously defended the legislation, saying it is "really important that we protect ordinary working people’s access to life-saving healthcare" as well access to the ambulance and fire services.
Read more: UK faces further disruption as teachers set to announce strike action
Britain has been hit by months of extremely disruptive strike action by unions across a variety of public sectors – including nurses, ambulance workers, and railway staff.
The new bill is Sunak's attempt to demonstrate he is getting to grips with the crisis.
Ahead of the proposed vote, Tory MP for Stevenage, Stephen McPartland, described the legislation as "shameful".
"I will vote against this shameful bill today," he said on Monday. "It does nothing to stop strikes – but individual NHS staff, teachers and workers can be targeted and sacked if they don’t betray their mates.
"Fine the unions if they won’t provide minimum service levels but don’t sack individuals."
However, despite McPartland's critique of the government's plans and the unease reported among some Tory MPs over the legislation, it is expected the government will successfully pass the bill.
Last week, business secretary Grant Shapps said a "civilised society" should ensure ambulances still turn up on a strike day.
UK strikes in January and February. (PA)
"I don’t think any civilised society should have a situation where we can’t get agreement to, for example, have an ambulance turn up on a strike day for the most serious of all types of ailments," said Shapps.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has accused the government of wanting to "make effective strike action illegal" in the UK.
"Trades unionists and democrats from across the political spectrum must come together in the interests of civil liberties and human rights to oppose these measures," he said.
"This violation of democratic norms and values will be strongly opposed by the RMT and the entire labour movement, in parliament, the courts and the workplace, if it is put on the statute books."
The Labour party has pledged to repeal any anti-strike laws introduced by the government should it win power at the next election.
Read more: Wave of industrial action to continue in coming days with nurses on strike
"It's likely to make a bad situation worse... if it's further restrictions, then we will repeal it," Keir Starmer said. "I do not think that legislation is the way that you bring an end to industrial disputes. You have to get in the room and compromise."
Monday's vote on the bill comes on the same day as several education trade unions, including the 300,000-strong National Education Union (NEU), will reveal whether they have voted to take strike action.
Elsewhere, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) across England will walk out on Wednesday and Thursday, warning if progress is not made in negotiations by the end of January the next set of strikes will include all eligible members in England.
Nadine Batchelor-Hunt
·Political Correspondent, Yahoo News UK
Mon, 16 January 2023
A Tory MP has described the government's new anti-strike legislation as 'shameful'
MPs are set to vote on new legislation that will impose a minimum level of service in certain public sectors
Unions have accused the government of moving to 'make effective strike action illegal'
Read more on the row over strikes below
Trade unions have criticised the government's new bill that would see the right to strike heavily curtailed for certain public sectors. (PA)
A Conservative MP has described the government's new attempt to curtail the rights of workers to strike as "shameful".
On Monday, MPs will vote on controversial legislation that would curtail the right of hundreds of thousands of public sector worker by imposing a legal duty of a minimum level of service on strike days.
Rishi Sunak has previously defended the legislation, saying it is "really important that we protect ordinary working people’s access to life-saving healthcare" as well access to the ambulance and fire services.
Read more: UK faces further disruption as teachers set to announce strike action
Britain has been hit by months of extremely disruptive strike action by unions across a variety of public sectors – including nurses, ambulance workers, and railway staff.
The new bill is Sunak's attempt to demonstrate he is getting to grips with the crisis.
Ahead of the proposed vote, Tory MP for Stevenage, Stephen McPartland, described the legislation as "shameful".
"I will vote against this shameful bill today," he said on Monday. "It does nothing to stop strikes – but individual NHS staff, teachers and workers can be targeted and sacked if they don’t betray their mates.
"Fine the unions if they won’t provide minimum service levels but don’t sack individuals."
However, despite McPartland's critique of the government's plans and the unease reported among some Tory MPs over the legislation, it is expected the government will successfully pass the bill.
Last week, business secretary Grant Shapps said a "civilised society" should ensure ambulances still turn up on a strike day.
UK strikes in January and February. (PA)
"I don’t think any civilised society should have a situation where we can’t get agreement to, for example, have an ambulance turn up on a strike day for the most serious of all types of ailments," said Shapps.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has accused the government of wanting to "make effective strike action illegal" in the UK.
"Trades unionists and democrats from across the political spectrum must come together in the interests of civil liberties and human rights to oppose these measures," he said.
"This violation of democratic norms and values will be strongly opposed by the RMT and the entire labour movement, in parliament, the courts and the workplace, if it is put on the statute books."
The Labour party has pledged to repeal any anti-strike laws introduced by the government should it win power at the next election.
Read more: Wave of industrial action to continue in coming days with nurses on strike
"It's likely to make a bad situation worse... if it's further restrictions, then we will repeal it," Keir Starmer said. "I do not think that legislation is the way that you bring an end to industrial disputes. You have to get in the room and compromise."
Monday's vote on the bill comes on the same day as several education trade unions, including the 300,000-strong National Education Union (NEU), will reveal whether they have voted to take strike action.
Elsewhere, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) across England will walk out on Wednesday and Thursday, warning if progress is not made in negotiations by the end of January the next set of strikes will include all eligible members in England.
Angela Rayner
Mon, 16 January 2023
Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA
Rishi Sunak has gone from clapping nurses to threatening them with the sack. The prime minister’s fresh assault on rights at work comes hurtling into parliament on Monday with proposals to impose minimum service levels on workers across England, Scotland and Wales. Ministers would be handed new powers to order compulsory “work notices” to be issued to striking workers, who could then be sacked for going on strike.
This shoddy, unworkable bill is a grotesque insult to key workers. As a former union official myself, I know first-hand that taking strike action is always a last resort – not only because it involves giving up a day’s pay but because the commitment to being there for the public runs deep. But the goodwill upon which our public services have been running hit breaking point long ago. While ministers seek to foist the responsibility for crumbling services on to the shoulders of those on the frontlines, they ignore the fact that workers and their unions already shoulder responsibility, ensuring “life and limb” cover even during industrial action.
Meanwhile, hundreds are dying each week due to NHS delays as trusts declare critical incidents and workers on the frontline compare the health services to a “war zone”. But all ministers have to offer are bad-faith arguments: passing the buck for their own failures, and demonising, gaslighting and coercing key workers who feel they’ve been left with no choice. The days of ministers clapping for key workers are a distant memory.
The buck stops with the government, whose duty it is to protect the public’s access to essential services – yet livelihoods and lives are already being lost. We all want minimum standards of safety, service and staffing – but it’s Conservative ministers who are failing to provide them. The dereliction of duty we are seeing today isn’t on the streets of Britain, it’s in Downing Street.
Their proposed legislation is not merely insulting, but stupid, too. Sunak’s own transport secretary has admitted the proposals would do nothing to resolve the current strikes. His own education secretary says she hopes the new law is not applied to schools. His government’s own assessments warned that the plans could lead to more strikes and staff shortages in transport, and were unnecessary in other sectors. Ministers are desperately seeking to justify the legislation by using disingenuous comparisons with France and Spain. This just won’t wash, as both lose significantly more days to strikes than the UK.
Our public services are on their knees. So many dedicated professionals are leaving their life’s calling because they can’t cope. Ministers know that the NHS cannot find the nurses it needs to work on the wards, and that the trains do not run even on non-strike days, such are the shortages of staff. How can they seriously think that sacking thousands of key workers will not just plunge them further into crisis?
The prime minister’s threat to bring redundancy notices to the negotiating table will serve only to inflame disputes and plunge workforce morale to new lows. It’s perhaps little wonder that he is trying to rush the legislation through parliament. This bill simply won’t stand up to the slightest scrutiny. Instead, the hapless business secretary, Grant Shapps, has been dispatched to make increasingly desperate and nonsensical arguments at the prime minister’s behest. If Sunak wanted to fulfil his pledge to bring rights at work in line with European standards, he would be bringing forward the proposals that were promised in the 2019 Tory manifesto but which have now been abandoned.
This new legislation does, however, serve one purpose. It offers the Conservatives a cloak of distraction from the crisis in the NHS they have caused, the economic crash their party inflicted on the country, and the cost of living emergency so many are facing. But beneath the delusion, reality bites. The cold, hard truth is the only way these disputes can and will be resolved is at the negotiating table and in good faith, so fair settlements can be reached. Instead, this government has resorted to threatening nurses with the sack because it just can’t stomach negotiation.
In his damning catalogue of the prime minister’s failings, one former Conservative health secretary has warned: “It is simply extraordinary to waste parliamentary time by introducing legislation which removes the right of NHS staff to withdraw their labour in a future dispute at a time when ministers and MPs should be focusing on resolving the current dispute.”
This dead-end government’s supply of sticking plasters is fast running out. It’s increasingly clear that this out of touch prime minister is out of his depth. What next? Banning certain workers from joining unions at all? Well, he’s been considering that too, for those under any lingering misapprehension that the Tories are the great defenders of civil liberties. He wouldn’t hesitate if he thought they could get away with it.
Related: High inflation is to blame for these strikes, not trade unions | Torsten Bell
For our part, we won’t stand by and let him play politics with key workers’ lives. The right to withdraw your labour is a fundamental freedom and we will always defend it. Labour MPs will be voting against this bill today and resisting the government’s attempt to rush it through parliament without proper scrutiny. If it passes thanks to Tory votes, the next Labour government will repeal it.
Labour has a plan to make Britain work for working people by resetting industrial relations for a modern era, ensuring workplace rights fit for the 21st century, and by negotiating in good faith to reach resolution rather than escalating disputes.
Try as it might to coerce nurses on pain of the sack, it’s this clapped-out government that richly deserves its marching orders.
Angela Rayner is deputy leader of the Labour party
