Conservatives pledge to tighten industrial relations legislation
The Conservative Party has outlined plans to tighten the law on strike ballots if it wins the 2015 general election.
As part of its manifesto, the Party has drawn up measures to bring industrial relations rules into the “21st century”.
Under the plans, any action by unions on behalf of employees will be subject to a 50 per cent vote threshold, meaning at least half of members eligible to vote in a ballot for action will be required to take part for any subsequent strike to be lawful.
Unions will also be required to provide specific details about the nature of the dispute on the ballot paper, including the intended time of industrial action, length and reason for taking it, which members will also be required to vote on.
In addition, the current Code of Practice on Pickets will become legally binding, making picketing that has not been legally sanctioned by a union a criminal offence. It will be updated to limit how, where and why picketing can take place, which will “better protect those who want to come to work”, according to the Conservative Party’s statement.
The proposed introduction of time-limits for action after a ballot would put an end to ‘rolling mandates’ as unions would be given three months following a ‘yes’ vote to take action. Cabinet Office minister, Francis Maude, cited the example of National Union of Teachers, (NUT), using the result of a 2012 strike ballot to stage action now.
Maude described the reforms as “sensible and proportionate”, but has faced strong criticism from union leaders and business secretary Vince Cable.
Speaking to the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme, Cable said: “I don’t think there’s any need for them. We have far fewer strikes than we’ve had in the past and industrial relations are generally very good.”
“The particular proposal that they’re making – that no strike should be valid unless over half of the union members have voted for it – is simply potty. I mean most MPs wouldn’t be validly elected if that was the text,” he said.
“Britain’s strike laws are already some of the toughest of any democracy,” said Frances O’Grady, general secretary of TUC.
“You do not have to support every bit of industrial action to see that the right to strike is an important human right – and always one of the first things banned by any dictatorship.”
She warned that these reforms would “shift the balance of power in British workplaces in favour of the employer” and would have as much impact on non-union members as those in unions.
The crackdown on strike law comes following the “biggest” public walkout under the coalition, which unions claim saw up to one million public sector workers take to the streets over pay, pensions and job cuts.
However, business minister Matthew Hancock, said: "Our long-term economic plan is about building a stronger, more competitive Britain so we secure our country's future.
“For too long, businesses, commuters and families have put up with disruptive and unnecessary strikes. That's why the next Conservative government will change the law so that union bosses cannot call strikes without genuine support from their members."