Labour plans to rip up strike rules holding unions back
The Labour Party has pledged to rip up strike laws if it comes to power, making it easier for unions to take industrial action.
Sir Keir Starmer will repeal the 2016 Trade Union Act, which imposes a series of conditions on unions that want to go on strike.
These include stipulations that industrial ballots must attract a 50 per cent turnout in order for their results to be legally valid. Those working in “important” public services - including in the health, education and transport sectors - have to reach an additional threshold of 40 per cent support among those eligible to vote.
The legislation also dictates that unions must give two weeks’ notice before they walk out - rather than one - to give employers more time to prepare ways to limit disruption.
A Labour spokesman said the party would repeal the “archaic” 2016 legislation, which could make it easier for strike ballots to take place.
They added that there wereother “unnecessary elements” in trade union legislation that they would look to axe if elected.
“One example would be online balloting, not allowing online balloting, we don’t think that’s practical, we think it’s costly and we think that’s unnecessary,” the spokesman said.
And they added that Labour would oppose the Government’s “unworkable” minimum service levels legislation - designed to ensure that a skeleton service continues to run on strike days.
‘Sir Keir thinks his bosses are the union barons’
Nadhim Zahawi, the Conservative Party chairman, said it “beggars belief that Labour wants to relax laws to make it easier for their union paymasters to strike”.
He added: “The 2016 Trade Union Act introduced minimum turnout thresholds for strike action and Starmer’s plan to scrap it would be a green light for Labour’s militant union backers to hold the country to ransom.
“Once again Sir Keir reveals he thinks his bosses are the union barons and not the great British public.”
It comes as a new analysis of Electoral Commission figures reveal that unions “holding the country to ransom this Christmas” have donated £15 million to the Labour Party in the two-and-a-half years of Sir Keir’s leadership.
In total, trade unions have donated over £15 million to the Labour Party, constituency Labour parties and MPs since Sir Keir became leader, according to the Tory party’s analysis. This includes over £3 million each from Unite, Unison and GMB who represent striking ambulance workers.
On Wednesday, Prospect, a union which represents tens of thousands of civil servants, announced that an indicative ballot of its members showed strong support for industrial action.
Mike Clancy, its general secretary, said that unless the Government agreed to lift the cap of thee per cent on pay rises and abandon plans to slash redundancy terms, they would move to formal ballots in the new year.
