9 DECEMBER 2022 | NEWS
The Prime Minister has said he is working on “tough new laws” against industrial action amid the announcement of a series of strikes across the public sector.
With Royal Mail, rail staff, nurses, ambulance staff – and more – set to strike throughout December and the Christmas period, Rishi Sunak told MPs this week that “if union leaders continue to be unreasonable, then it is my duty to take action to protect the lives and livelihoods of the British public”.
“[The] Government is always going to be reasonable,” he told the BBC.
He added: “My priority is making sure that I keep people safe, and that I minimise the disruption on their lives, and I will do what is required to do that.”
Mr Sunak’s comments came as the PCS union announced that Border Force staff will also be taking industrial action at airports across the UK, including Heathrow, Gatwick and London.
Currently awaiting its second reading in Parliament is a Bill introduced by former Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan, aiming to “make provision about minimum service levels in connection with the taking by trade unions of strike action relating to transport services”.
But the current Transport Minister, Mark Harper, admitted the legislation would not be in place in time to mitigate the wave of rail strikes this month.
Downing Street said work was “ongoing” on other options for mitigating future industrial action.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Rather than attempting cheap political pot-shots, the Government should be getting around the table and negotiating with unions about pay.”
At Prime Minister’s Questions this week, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer reiterated these sentiments and urged the Prime Minister to “get round the table”, while a Labour spokesperson said the Opposition would oppose the legislation currently making its way through Parliament.
The Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has also declared that she will oppose the Bill.
