Public Services International has expressed concern about the Trade Union bill, recently published by the UK government, which contains wide-ranging measures designed to restrict the ability of unions and their members to organise collectively and take industrial action. The legislation includes thresholds for turnouts in strike ballots, restrictions on the right to picket and the removal of the ban on the use of agency workers to replace striking workers. Measures to eliminate payroll check-off for public service staff have already been implemented, forcing unions to have their members set up direct debits to pay their union subscriptions.
PSI said that the Bill will severely undermine fundamental human and trade union rights, such as freedom of association and the right to strike in the UK.
In a statement, PSI said “These fundamental rights have been enshrined and acknowledged in international human rights’ treaties and jurisprudence since 1948 in the UN, ILO and EU human rights instruments and are cornerstones of all free democratic societies.
“We believe it will cripple the UK’s industrial relations system, curtail the social and civil rights of UK people, dramatically erode workplace democracy and set a very dangerous precedent for the European Union and the rest of the world. We also share the view of the UK Regulatory Policy Committee that the whole Bill is ‘not fit for purpose’.”
PSI has urged the UK Government to withdraw the draft Bill because it breaches fundamental human and labour rights “and would place the UK among the ranks of human rights offender countries.”
The Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons last week, despite objections from the new Shadow Cabinet and the bill even drew criticism from some Conservative MPs. It was described by Shadow Business Secretary Angela Eagle as “an attack on the rights of working people across the UK.” She added that the bill saddled unions with "draconian" restrictions, noting that the days lost to strike action had fallen by 90 per cent in two decades.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said the campaign against the legislation was far from over. “The record books will show that this government’s first major act in office has been to attack the right to strike – a fundamental British liberty. We will continue to oppose it at each stage through Parliament. Ministers have underestimated the public,” she said. Ms O’Grady added that it was good to hear MPs from across the house recognise the huge threat the bill poses to civil liberties and fair treatment at work.
Conservative MP David Davis said that the inclusion of a requirement for picketing workers to give their names to the police violated the principle of freedom of association and could lead to a "slippery slope”. Davis said he would vote against the bill at its third reading if these measures were still included.
