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Government's Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill is a ‘full-frontal attack on the trade union movement,’ TUC warns

THE government is mounting a “full-frontal attack on the trade union movement” by “steam-rolling through” anti-strike legislation forcing workers to scab during industrial disputes, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak will say today.

Bosses will be able to sack workers who refuse to work during strike action under the draconian laws, and the government would force unions to guarantee minimal levels of service which ministers decide

The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill targets health, education, fire, transport, border security and nuclear decommissioning workers and their unions.

But the proposals, which enable Business Secretary Grant Shapps to bypass Parliament, have sparked widespread protests at the weekend including outside the constituency offices of Mr Shapps and other MPs, with more protests planned today at Downing Street when the legislation gets its second reading in the House of Commons.

The new laws were ridiculed by Mick Lynch, general secretary of rail union RMT, who said the government was incapable of guaranteeing minimum levels of rail services at any time.

He called the legislation a “nasty anti-worker Bill” which is “designed to repress and make very difficult our right to strike in this country.”

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “This draconian Bill is a full-frontal attack on the right to strike — and the government is trying to steam-roller it through Parliament, without proper consultation or 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. 

“Make no mistake — this is undemocratic, unworkable and likely illegal. And it will do nothing to solve the current disputes across the economy — but only make matters worse.

“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 workers across the public sector.”

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “This shoddy, unworkable Bill won’t do a thing to help working people or avoid strikes. 

“Labour will be opposing this assault on common sense that would see fundamental British freedoms ripped up in order to distract from the crisis the Tories have inflicted on our country.”

The Bill is also causing divisions within Tory ranks and teachers are currently involved in pay negotiations backed by potential strike action.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: “We are definitely not trying to be antagonistic. I actually hope it’s not applied to schools.” 

Former Health Secretary Steven Dorrell said: “It is simply extraordinary to waste parliamentary time by introducing legislation which removes the right of NHS staff to withdraw their labour in a future dispute at a time when ministers and MPs should be focusing on resolving the current dispute.”

Mr Shapps’s constituency office in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire was targeted for protest by the Enough is Enough campaign and members of unions Unison, UCU, TSSA and Unite on Saturday, along with the constituency offices of Newcastle Blyth Valley Tory MP Ian Levy, Bolton West Tory MP Chris Green and government whip and Southport MP Damien Moore.

Protesters outside Mr Shapps’s office called the Bill a “horrific attack” on workers’ rights and said the government is acting like “a dictator.”

Dave Barnes, Network Rail worker and TSSA union rep, said: “We don’t believe it’s about money, it’s not about efficiency, not about looking after the public services, it’s about withdrawing the right to strike.”

UCU member and Labour councillor James Broach said: “It’s the behaviour you would expect from a dictator.”

RMT is staging an emergency demonstration outside 10 Downing Street today at 6pm.

The government said it had a duty to protect the public during strikes.

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