One in five workers will be adversely affected if the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill were to pass, according to analysis by the TUC.
As the controversial bill has its third and final reading in the House of Lords today (9 May), the trade union body has warned that 5.5 million workers in England, Wales and Scotland could see their right to strike curtailed. Workers in Northern Ireland are not subject to the bill.
Under the bill, the government would be able to impose a minimum service level on fire, ambulance and rail services, to operate during periods of industrial action, and negotiate voluntary thresholds with other health and transport services, as well as education, nuclear decommissioning, and border security employers.
Strikes bill
The bill has faced significant opposition. Last month the Joint Committee on Human Rights said it may be incompatible with human rights legislation, and several unions including the Royal College of Nursing and Unite have been critical of the bill.
The strikes bill recently suffered heavy defeats in the House of Lords as all the opposition amendments were voted through, including an amendment to stop frontline workers from being dismissed for exercising their right to strike.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “This Conservative government is threatening the right to strike of as many as one in five workers up and down the country.
“This is a spiteful bill. No one should be sacked for trying to win a better deal at work. But this draconian legislation would mean that when workers democratically vote to strike, they could be forced to work and sacked if they don’t comply.
“With inflation still running at over 10%, the last thing workers need is for ministers to make it harder to secure better pay and conditions. It’s time for ministers to protect the right to strike and ditch this bill for good.”
Paddy Lillis, general secretary at retail workers’ union Usdaw said: “Today the House of Lords is being asked to agree this legislation and we respectfully suggest to Peers that the bill is fundamentally flawed and should be rejected.
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“While we welcome the amendments that Peers secured at the report stage, we still believe the Bill should be rejected in its entirety. ”
