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Union body urges all
Parliamentarians to reject “spiteful”
legislation
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MPs are being forced to
“vote blindly” on draconian new laws, union body
warns
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Government is “ducking
scrutiny” and “shortcutting” proper regulatory process, says
TUC
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TUC launches Freedom of
Information request to discover why government has not
published an impact assessment for Minimum Service Levels
Bill
The TUC has today (Monday) accused the
government of trying to “keep MPs in the dark” over the scope of
its new anti-strikes legislation.
The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels)
Bill is back in parliament today for its third reading and would
give ministers sweeping new powers to restrict the right to
strike.
The TUC has launched a Freedom of
Information (FOI) request to discover why the government
published the Bill without a required impact
assessment.
Previous government advice
– published in the Autumn – warned
that minimum service levels in transport could poison industrial
relations, and lead to more frequent industrial
action.
Despite this warning, the
Conservatives are now proposing to extend minimum service levels
to a range of other sectors including - health, education, fire,
border security and nuclear decommissioning.
Earlier this month the Regulatory
Policy Committee (RPC) –
a government-appointed body -
criticised ministers for
failing to provide MPs with an impact assessment on its new
Minimum Service Levels Bill.
The RPC said:
“Government departments are
expected to submit impact assessments to the RPC before the
relevant bill is laid before Parliament and in time for the RPC
to issue an opinion alongside the publication of the impact
assessment.
“An impact assessment for this
Bill has not yet been submitted for RPC scrutiny; nor has one been published
despite the Bill being currently considered by
Parliament."
Far-reaching
powers
If passed, the Minimum Service Levels
Bill will mean that when workers democratically and lawfully vote
to strike they can be forced to work and sacked if they don’t
comply.
The TUC is calling on MPs of all
parties to reject this spiteful legislation, which it says is
“shortcutting” normal scrutiny procedures and being
“steamrollered” through parliament without proper consultation
and scrutiny.
The bill gives ministers power to
impose new minimum service levels through
regulation.
But consultations on how these
regulations will work have not been published, and
parliamentarians have been given few details on how minimum
service levels are intended to operate.
The TUC says the new legislation will
“do nothing” to solve the current disputes across the public
sector, and “only make matters worse”.
TUC General Secretary Paul
Nowak said:
"The government is trying to keep MPs
in the dark about the draconian nature of this Bill.
“But make no mistake - this
legislation will give ministers sweeping new powers to restrict
the right to strike.
“The government must not be allowed to
duck scrutiny. This spiteful legislation would mean that when
workers democratically vote to strike, they can be forced to work
and sacked if they don’t comply.
“The Minimum Service Levels Bill is
undemocratic, unworkable and almost certainly illegal. And
crucially it will likely poison industrial relations and
exacerbate disputes rather than help resolve them.
“It is shameful that parliamentarians
are being forced to vote blindly on such far-reaching new laws.
We urge MPs from all parties to vote against this nasty
Bill.”
On the government’s railroading
through of the Bill, Paul added:
“The government is investing far more
time and energy in steamrollering this Bill through parliament
than it is on resolving disputes.
“Instead of scheming up new ways to
attack the right to strike, ministers should get pay rising
across the economy – starting with a decent pay rise for public
sector workers.
“The staffing crisis blighting our
public services will only get worse if the Conservatives continue
to hold down wages in our schools, hospitals and crucial
services.”
