Posted 22 June 2023 - 14:59
Posted 22 June 2023 - 14:59
News
Anti-strike bill: MPs again reject changes to protect nurses’ jobs
The proposed changes that would protect striking nurses from the threat of the sack were rejected as government pursues undiluted version of punitive bill
The proposed changes that would protect striking nurses from the threat of the sack were rejected as government pursues undiluted version of punitive bill
Ministers have once again voted down amendments to a controversial bill that would have protected nurses and other front-line workers from being sacked if they go on strike.
MPs overturn proposed amendments to punitive anti-strike bill
The House of Lords had made amendments to the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill in a bid to protect workers and trade unions and require the government to carry out further consultations on the changes.
But on 21 June, MPs in the House of Commons overturned the amendments – including one that would ensure workers are not sacked if they fail to comply with a work notice on strike days – for a second time. MPs rejected this amendment by 277 to 209.
An amendment to ensure unions were not in charge of enforcing work orders was also voted down, alongside a call for further consultations on the scope of the bill.
If made law, the bill would allow ministers to impose statutory minimum levels of service during industrial action by nurses and other key workers. Hundreds of nurses signed a petition against it at the RCN annual congress this year.
SNP MP says controversial ‘sack the nurses’ bill would bring UK in line with Russia
Speaking in a House of Commons debate on 21 June, Scottish National Party MP Alan Brown said the legislation was ‘intended to be the “sack the workers, sack the nurses, sack the doctors and sack the train drivers bill”’.
He added: ‘Forget the pretence that this legislation brings the UK into line with other countries that the government keep telling us have minimum service levels legislation on the right to strike. This legislation brings the UK into line not with other democracies, but with Russia and Hungary.’
Mr Brown also accused the government of wanting to bring in the legislation ‘at a time when we don’t even have enough workers to fill vacancies’. There are currently more than 40,000 nurse vacancies in the NHS in England.
TUC calls for ‘an urgent rethink’ on bill that threatens nurses’ right to strike without losing their job
But business minister Kevin Hollinrake accused peers of trying to delay the reforms. He said: ‘I fear we are having a somewhat repetitive debate which is delaying us from getting on with the important business of minimising disruption to the public during periods of strike action.’
He added: ‘We have been clear that there is a balance between people being able to seek industrial action and being able to go about their daily lives. That is the balance that we are trying to strike.’
The Trades Union Congress has called for an ‘urgent rethink’ and warned that workers who lawfully vote to strike could be sacked if they do not attend work if the bill goes through unamended.
The bill will now return to the House of Lords for further discussion.
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