Education secretary says health workers could be included in list of people whose right to strike is limited by contracts
Good morning. After three years of dawdling, the government is suddenly ramping up its plans to tighten the laws on strikes that effect public services, in ways that would be hugely controversial, amounting, potentially, to the biggest restriction on trade unions since the 1980s.
In their 2019 election manifesto, the Conservatives said: “We will require that a minimum service operates during transport strikes. Rail workers deserve a fair deal, but it is not fair to let the trade unions undermine the livelihoods of others.”
We do have some areas where strikes are not allowed as part of the contract. So, for example, the military can’t go on strike and the police. There’s some people … as a matter of public safety, you can’t go on strike.
And what we’re looking at is, are there other areas that we should include in that? Health would be one to look at and other areas of critical infrastructure.
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