Grant Shapps unveils new powers in strike laws

Business Secretary Grant Shapps has acceptable retired plans to enforce minimum work levels during onslaught action, including for ambulance staff, firefighters and railway workers.

Under the bill, immoderate employees would beryllium required to enactment during a onslaught and could beryllium sacked if they refuse.

Mr Shapps said the purpose was to support lives and livelihoods.

But unions said the projected measure was "undemocratic, unworkable, and astir surely illegal".

And Labour said it would repeal the authorities if it wins the adjacent wide election.

The caller bill, published connected Tuesday, comes amid a question of concern enactment crossed nationalist services, with unions calling for wage increases to support up with the rising outgo of living.

But it is not acceptable to go instrumentality until aboriginal this twelvemonth - provided it gets past absorption successful the House of Lords - truthful volition person nary interaction connected the existent strikes.

The authorities is seeking to widen authorities connected nationalist transport already making its mode done Parliament to screen different sectors.

Ministers volition get the powerfulness to acceptable minimum information levels for fire, ambulance and obstruction services nether the bill, which volition use to England, Wales and Scotland.

They would besides person the powerfulness to acceptable minimum levels of work for health, education, atomic decommissioning and borderline information but anticipation to scope voluntary agreements successful these areas.

Ministers volition determine the level of work required for each assemblage during strikes aft consultation with the unions.

Employers volition past beryllium capable to contented a "work notice" to unions, mounting retired who is required to enactment during a strike.

Under the authorities determination would beryllium nary automatic extortion from unfair dismissal for an worker who is told to enactment done a announcement but chooses to strike.

If a onslaught is not conducted successful accordance with the caller rules, employers would beryllium besides beryllium capable to writer unions for losses.

Labour's lawman person Angela Rayner said it was "utterly stupid" and "insulting" for Mr Shapps to spell from thanking nurses to proposing to sack them for striking.

"We each privation minimum standards of safety, work and staffing. It is the ministers failing to supply it," she said, adding that the nationalist was being enactment astatine hazard each time by the situation successful the NHS and unit shortages.

Mr Shapps told MPs: "No 1 is talking astir sacking nurses... thing we are announcing contiguous successful this measure from the despatch container is astir getting escaped of nurses immoderate much than immoderate employment declaration has to beryllium followed."

He added that the authorities "absolutely believes successful the close to strike" but it is "duty bound" to support the lives and livelihoods of the public.

"We don't privation to usage this authorities but we indispensable guarantee the information of the British public," helium said.

Mr Shapps said the projected authorities was akin to existing laws successful Spain and France - and it would not interruption European quality rights laws.

Conservative MPs spoke successful enactment of the plans successful the Commons but one, Stephen McPartland, said connected Twitter it was "shameful" to people idiosyncratic workers and "order them to locomotion past their mates connected [the] picket enactment oregon beryllium sacked".

The caput of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Paul Nowak, said that if it became instrumentality the authorities would "prolong disputes and poison concern relations - starring to much predominant strikes".

"This authorities would mean that erstwhile workers democratically ballot to strike, they tin beryllium forced to enactment and sacked if they don't comply," helium said.

"That's undemocratic, unworkable, and astir surely illegal."

The TUC said it would clasp a nationalist "protect the close to strike" time connected 1 February successful protestation against the bill.

Fire Brigades Union wide caput Matt Wrack called the measure a "shameful attack" connected antiauthoritarian rights and cardinal workers.

Mick Lynch, caput of the RMT transport union, said the "draconian legislation" sought to "punish workers" for demanding decent wage and moving conditions.

The GMB union, which represents immoderate ambulance workers, said the measure would "alienate" NHS unit further by "attacking their cardinal close to instrumentality action".

Ambulance unit successful England and Wales are preparing to locomotion retired connected Wednesday, portion nurses successful England and teachers successful Scotland are besides acceptable to onslaught adjacent week.

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