News

Nurses’ right to strike: Lords vote to block dismissal powers

Peers move to water down planned strike law designed by government to limit key workers’ scope to take industrial action by legally mandating threat of the sack
Frances, Baroness O’Grady, former TUC leader and now peer speaking against government bill in House of Lords

Peers move to water down planned strike law designed by government to limit key workers’ scope to take industrial action by legally mandating threat of the sack

Baroness O’Grady, former TUC leader and now peer speaking against government bill in House of Lords
Baroness O’Grady speaking in the House of Lords Picture: Parliament TV

A ‘dictatorial’ strike law that could have seen nurses sacked for breaching work orders has suffered a series of key defeats in the House of Lords.

Peers voted for an amendment to the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill. The amendment is designed to protect workers from being dismissed for joining picket lines.

Bill seeks to curtail nurses’ freedom to strike

If passed into law, the bill will allow ministers to impose statutory minimum levels of service during industrial action by nurses and other ‘essential’ workers, and would mean these strikers could be served with work orders while on picket lines. Critics say it would lead to unfair treatment of active trade union members.

The amendment to overturn powers to dismiss staff who breach a work order was tabled by former chief nurse in England and now Bishop of London Sarah Mullally and approved by the Lords.

‘Nobody should be forced to make the agonising choice between betraying their trade union principles and and potentially losing their job’

Lord Woodley, Labour peer and former union leader

RCN director for England Patricia Marquis welcomed the victory but claimed the entire bill was not fit for purpose.

She said: ‘Curtailing the freedom of nursing staff to take part in lawful industrial action is undemocratic and an attack on their human rights. This bill is a distraction from the real issues of severe workforce shortages, patient safety and decades of underinvestment across health and social care. We’ll continue to strongly oppose it as it passes through parliament.’

‘Dismissing key workers would not tackle staff shortages’

Former TUC general secretary and now Labour peer Baroness O’Grady told the chamber if it went unamended, the bill would create ‘a P45 lottery.’

She told the Lords: ‘Most right-minded people find that disproportionate, dictatorial and fundamentally unfair. Dismissing key workers would do absolutely nothing to tackle the blight of public service staff shortages and backlogs on the country.’

Bill allows employers to undermine staff solidarity – peer

Fellow Labour peer and former leader of Unite, Lord Woodley, said: ‘The bill as it stands gives bad bosses the power to target and victimise trade union activists by the issue of a work notice.

‘Nobody should be forced to make the agonising choice between betraying their trade union principles and standing together as workers, and potentially losing their job.’

The bill will have its third reading in the House of Lords in May.


In other news

Jobs