Employee Benefits poll: More than half (59%) of respondents disagreed with the government’s move to curtail strike disruption, through regulation that unions have to bring all pay proposals to a vote.
In comparison, 41% of respondents to an online survey conducted by Employee Benefits said that they did agree with the decision.
Last month, Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng announced that the government plans to legislate to reduce strike action by making trade unions take all pay offers to a member vote.
The move was announced during the Mini Budget speech in the House of Commons on 23 September. Kwarteng did not confirm further details as to the timing or details of proposed legislation at the time.
He said: “It is simply unacceptable that strike action is disrupting so many lives. Other European countries have minimum service levels to stop militant trade unions closing down transport networks during strikes, so we will do the same and we will go further. We will legislate to make trade unions put pay offers to a member vote to ensure that strikes can only be called once negotiations have genuinely broken down.”
Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, disagreed: “Nobody takes the decision to strike lightly. But the right to strike to defend pay and conditions is a fundamental British freedom. And it’s the last line of defence against employers which refuse to negotiate fair pay. These new restrictions are unworkable, very likely illegal and designed to hold down pay across the economy.”
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