The Trade Unions Congress (TUC) recently announced 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 is of the view that this law falls short of international standards on account of its restrictions on industrial action, and has vowed to fight against it until its repeal.
The Strikes Act, which received Royal Assent in July, was designed to ensure a minimum level of service delivery
during industrial action in certain public sectors. These services specifically include health, fire and rescue, education, transport, nuclear decommissioning and waste management, and border security. As a consequence of the act, some workers are given a work notice ahead of strikes, implying that they must work during industrial action.
However, the TUC has time and again voiced their concerns about the adverse impact of the act on workers’ right to strike in the UK. This is not the first time they have brought these concerns to the attention of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the UN’s workers rights watchdog. After a previous complaint lodged by TUC, the ILO demanded that the UK government ensure the Strikes Act complies with international law. At an annual TUC meeting that took place between September 10th and 13th, TUC announced that they are placing another complaint with the ILO.
In his speech at the aforementioned meeting, TUC General Secretary, Paul Nowak, stated their belief that the Strikes Act doesn’t meet the ILO’s previous demand and expressed their determination to win against it this time.
There has been widespread strike action across multiple sectors in the UK during 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 the UK Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake previously said that the legislation strikes a balance between the ability to strike and protection of lives and livelihoods, Nowak vehemently disagreed, describing the act as “unworkable, undemocratic and almost certainly in breach of international law.”
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