UK
Labour repeal anti-union legislation

Labour last week announced that it will repeal a piece of anti-worker legislation—minimum service levels rules. But it is not enough

Protesting in Chelmsford against anti-union laws (Picture: Guy Smallman)

By Arthur Townend
Tuesday 13 August 2024I

 SOCIALIST WORKER

Keir Starmer’s government last week announced that it will repeal a key piece of anti-worker legislation—minimum service levels rules.

Introduced by the Tories in July last year, the law was designed to force workers to break strikes and deliver services during action.

The Tories brought in the pro-boss legislation, to reassure capitalists following an unprecedented rise in the number of strikes the previous year. Yet, despite big strikes, no bosses ever used it.

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said, “Attempting to clamp down on the fundamental freedom of working people has got us nowhere. “That’s why we’re scrapping this pointless law and creating a new partnership between business, trade unions and working people through our New Deal.”

Some trade union leaders celebrated the plan to ditch the legislation. Unison union’s general secretary Christina McAnea said, “This was a terrible law. “It’s great the government is ditching it so early on.

No employer used the law because doing so would have ramped up tensions, prolonged strikes and risked the wrath of the public.” Mick Lynch, general secretary of RMT transport union, said repealing the Act will help “reset industrial relations”.

He said it would help settle disputes “rather than having trade unions attacked and demonised”. But the minimum service levels legislation was never the most critical question for workers’ rights.

The Trade Union Act 2016 is a far more effective tool for the bosses to wield. It wrote into law that workers must reach certain turnout thresholds on strike ballots if they wanted to legally walk out.

Despite many promises to defy the law, trade union leaders have been reluctant to call or support action that is seen to challenge it. Ballot thresholds are both a real obstacle to action and a shield for reluctant union leaders to cower behind when they don’t want their members to strike.

If Labour truly wants to protect “the fundamental freedom of working people”, it should repeal the Trade Union Act now, not satisfy itself by ditching a less important law. The manifesto said a Labour government would “fully consult with business” before making any changes to the act.

But bosses are never going to agree to rip up a piece of legislation that strengthens their ability to exploit and profit.

It also promised to ban fire and rehire and end zero hours contracts. These are good demands. But it will take mass pressure, from workers and the unions, to push Starmer to depart from his existing pro-profit, pro-business agenda.

Only pressure from below will force him to consider the axing of the minimum service levels as the beginning of throwing out all the anti-worker legislation brought in by the Tories.