The Trade Unions Congress (TUC) announced Sunday they are reporting the UK government to the UN watchdog on workers rights over the implementation of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023. The TUC claims this law “falls short of international standards” due to how much it restricts industrial action, and will “fight these laws every day until they are repealed.”
The Strikes Act, which received Royal Assent in July, intends to “make provision about minimum service levels in connection with the taking by trade unions of strike action relating to certain services.” It aims to mitigate the impact of industrial action in public sectors by ensuring a minimum level of service is still delivered. This includes health services, fire and rescue services, education services, transport services, decommissioning of nuclear installations and management of radioactive waste, and border security. The act means that some workers will be given a work notice ahead of strikes and therefore must work during industrial action.
However, the TUC have frequently expressed their concerns about the act and its impact on the workers rights to strike in the UK. The TUC have previously complained to UN watchdog, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which resulted in the ILO demanding the UK government ensured the Strikes Act complied with international law. At an annual TUC meeting running between September 10th and 13th, the TUC announced they are placing another complaint with the ILO. In a speech made by the TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak, he stated that they “believe the Strikes Act falls way short” of the ILO’s previous demand and they “are determined to win again.”
The UK has seen widespread strike action in multiple sectors in 2023, including from junior doctors, teachers, nurses, rail workers, consultants, and mail workers. The introduction of the Strikes Act amid these waves of industrial action has resulted in criticism from many groups. While UK Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake previously said “This legislation is an appropriate balance between the ability to strike, and protecting lives and livelihood”, Nowak claims the act is “unworkable, undemocratic and almost certainly in breach of international law.’
