- New laws will allow government to set minimum levels of
service which must be met during strikes to ensure the safety of
the public and their access to public services
- the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill will ensure crucial
public services such as rail, ambulances, and fire services
maintain a minimum service during industrial action, reducing
risk to life and ensuring the public can still get to work
- Business Secretary said in Parliament today:
“We do not want to have to use this legislation unless we have
to, but we must ensure the safety of the British public.”
Millions of hard-working people across the UK will be protected
from disruptive strikes thanks to new laws introduced today,
which will allow employers in critical public sectors to maintain
minimum levels of service during strikes.
The government is introducing this legislation to ensure that
striking workers don’t put the public’s lives at risk and prevent
people getting to work, accessing healthcare, and safely going
about their daily lives.
The government will first consult on minimum service levels for
fire, ambulance, and rail services, recognising the severe
disruption that the public faces when these services are impacted
by strikes, especially the immediate risk to public safety when
blue light services are disrupted.
The government hopes to not have to use these powers for
other sectors included in the Bill, such as education, other
transport services, border security, other health services and
nuclear decommissioning.
The government expects parties in these sectors to reach a
sensible and voluntary agreement between each other on delivering
a reasonable level of service when there is strike action. This
will, however, be kept under review and the Bill gives the
government the power to step in and set minimum service levels
should that become necessary.
Business Secretary said:
The first job of any government is to keep the public
safe. Because whilst we absolutely believe in the ability to
strike, we are duty-bound to protect the lives and livelihoods of
the British people.
I am introducing a bill that will give government the power to
ensure that vital public services will have to maintain a basic
function, by delivering minimum safety levels ensuring that lives
and livelihoods are not lost.
We do not want to have to use this legislation unless we have to,
but we must ensure the safety of the British public.
The sectors the legislation includes are:
- health services
- education services
- fire and rescue services
- transport services
- decommissioning of nuclear installations and management of
radioactive waste and spent fuel
- border security
This principle is already recognised in many countries across the
world, such as Italy and Spain, where systems for applying
minimum levels during strikes are in place for services the
public depend on.
As is the case currently a union will lose its legal protection
from damages if it does not comply with the obligations set for
them within the legislation.
Today’s reforms come as government ministers are meeting trade
unions to discuss fair and affordable public sector pay
settlements for 2023 to 2024.
