Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Industrial action / strikesTrade unions

Trade Union Bill provokes anger from unions

by Jo Faragher 15 Jul 2015
by Jo Faragher 15 Jul 2015 A TUC march last year/Amer Ghazzal REX Shutterstock
A TUC march last year/Amer Ghazzal REX Shutterstock

The Government has launched its Trade Union Bill – its legislation designed to toughen up existing laws on strike action.

The Bill, which has had its first reading in Parliament, proposes a threshold of 50% turnout in strike ballots.

Listen to XpertHR’s trade union podcasts

Trade unions and industrial action: Part 1

Trade unions and industrial action: Part 2

There will be an additional minimum ballot threshold of 40% of all eligible members in core public services including health, education, fire and border security.

It will also set a four-month time limit for industrial action to ensure that mandates are recent, and require a clear description of the dispute and planned action on the ballot paper, so union members know what they are voting for.

The Bill also sets out plans to repeal a ban on the use of agency workers to cover for those on strike.

The Government claims that the proposed legislation, which it hinted at in the Queen’s Speech in May, will create greater transparency around union practices and “ensure strikes are the result of a clear and positive democratic mandate from union members”.

Business Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Trade unions have a constructive role to play in representing their members’ interests, but our one-nation government will balance their rights with those of working people and business.”

“These changes are being introduced so that strikes only happen when a clear majority of those entitled to vote have done so and all other possibilities have been explored.”

Trade unions reacted in anger to the legislation. Mick Whelan, general secretary of train drivers’ union Aslef, said the tougher laws “smacked of Germany in the 1930s”.

Government consultations accompanying Trade Union Bill

Ballot thresholds for taking industrial action in important public services

Tackling intimidation of non-striking workers during industrial action

Hiring agency workers during industrial action

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady, meanwhile, said that the Bill was “a slippery slope towards worse rights for all”.

Last weekend, members of Britain’s biggest union, Unite, voted in favour of removing a clause in its rules requiring members to stay within the law when staging protests.

The union removed the clause “so far as may be lawful” from its rules governing members’ actions, paving the way for unlawful strikes.

But business group the CBI welcomed what it called “a modernisation of our outdated industrial relations laws”.

Deputy director-general Katja Hall said: “The introduction of thresholds is an important, but fair, step to ensure that strikes have the clear support of the workforce.

“Placing time limits on ballot mandates is an important measure to ensure industrial action is limited to the original dispute and not extended to other matters.”

The first consultations on the Bill have opened and will close on 9 September 2015.

Jo Faragher
Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

previous post
Why so few financial penalties for aggravated breaches of employment law?
next post
How to buy HR software: a 60-minute guide for employers – on demand webinar

You may also like

Deliveroo signs deal with union GMB to cover...

12 May 2022

Post Office staff strike over below-inflation pay offer

3 May 2022

Union accuses easyJet of corporate bullying over staff...

29 Apr 2022

A dark day for workers’ rights – why...

29 Apr 2022

Network Rail: unions angered by ‘work harder at...

28 Apr 2022

Union announces ballot for ‘biggest rail strike’

20 Apr 2022

Record £850k payout for teacher assaulted by pupil

14 Apr 2022

Staff at FCA vote in favour of industrial...

13 Apr 2022

Frances O’Grady to leave the TUC

12 Apr 2022

Amazon sets out objections to union drive

11 Apr 2022
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more
  • Why now is the time to plug the unhealthy gap PROMOTED | We’ve all heard the term ‘health is wealth’...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+