EU-based unions accuse Tories of ‘dragging UK further away from democratic norms’

Trade unions from several European countries have called out the UK government. According to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), these organisations “representing more than 20 million workers warn the Strikes Bill will drag UK further away from democratic norms”. It comes as the Tories’ Anti-Strikes Bill looks set to drastically shift the balance of power between employers and workers.

The UK: an outlier in Europe

The TUC said in a press release:

As the Strikes Bill begins its journey through the House of Lords next week, a joint statement by the general secretaries of nine European trade unions wholly rejects the government’s claims that the legislation would bring the UK into line with Europe.

Ministers have repeatedly named France, Italy and Spain as countries they are supposed to be emulating through the legislation. But the major unions in these countries strongly dispute these claims.

In the joint statement condemning the Strikes Bill, the European unions say that the UK is already an outlier in Europe and has the most draconian anti-union laws in the democratic world.

The European unions warn that more restrictions on the right to strike will “only drag the UK further away from democratic norms, risk violating international law, and tarnish its international reputation.”

The TUC added that French, German, Italian, and Spanish organisations have highlighted the marked differences in laws governing unions and workers in disputes in their countries. It said:

the fundamental right to strike is protected by constitutional and other means in all other advanced European democracies.

Unlike workers in the UK, workers in Spain, Italy, France and Germany enjoy the protection of national sectoral collective bargaining agreements setting minimum standards on workers’ rights for whole industries.

These agreements are underpinned by the freedom to take strike action without disproportionate restrictions.

Union victories

Of particular concern to the European unions are the UK government’s plans to threaten workers with the sack when they have voted to take part in a legitimate ballot for industrial action. War on Want recently published an article highlighting the victories that unions have won for workers, and the list includes:

• Better terms and conditions.
• More holiday.
• Higher wages.
• Equal opportunities and protection against discrimination.
• Better parental leave.
• Security and stability.
• Health and safety.
• Legal support.

Staffing crises and public sector pay

The European unions have argued that the UK government should be prioritising a decent pay rise for public sector workers to fix the staffing crisis across public services. The TUC, meanwhile, has accused the government of investing more time and energy in steamrolling its bill through parliament than on resolving disputes. It adds that ministers have failed to engage in good faith on public sector pay, and moreover:

The UK union body adds that the real threat to public safety is the chronic staffing crisis which blights our NHS and emergency services – and means patients can’t get the quality of care they need.

Recent TUC research found that 1 in 3 public sector workers are actively considering quitting their jobs – with poor pay the most popular reason cited for staff wanting to quit.

The Tories are attacking the right to strike

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said:

The right to strike is a fundamental freedom – but the Conservative government is attacking it in broad daylight. No one should face the sack for trying to win a better deal at work. This legislation would mean that when workers democratically vote to strike, they could be forced to work and sacked if they don’t comply.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) represents unions across the EU. Its general secretary Esther Lynch said:

The claim that restricting the right to strike would bring the UK into line with ‘European norms’ would be laughable if its consequences for democracy and working people weren’t so grave. The UK’s draconian restrictions on the right to strike are part of an antagonistic approach to industrial relations which has produced the biggest social conflict in a generation.

It stands in stark contrast to the system of social dialogue between unions, employers and government which is the norm in the countries picked by UK government and across Europe. If the UK government genuinely wants to bring its industrial relations into line with European norms, they would support sectoral collective bargaining for all workers and regularly sit down for negotiations with union representatives.

The right to strike is a basic part of a democratic society and the more restrictions that are placed in the way of workers seeking to exercise that right, the further the UK will find itself from democratic norms.

The best way to avoid strikes is genuine negotiation and not draconian legislation.

Solidarity with UK workers

The below is the European unions’ statement in full, given to the TUC:

We, the undersigned, representing millions of workers in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, reject the claim by the UK government that the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill brings the UK into line with ‘European norms.’ The fundamental right to strike is protected by constitutional and other means in all other advanced European democracies. The UK, which has the most draconian anti-union laws in the democratic world, is already an outlier in this regard.

More restrictions on the right to strike only drag the UK further away from democratic norms, risk violating international law, and tarnish its international reputation. We endorse the ETUC statement which makes it clear that these proposed anti-strike laws put the UK even further outside the democratic mainstream.

Negotiation, sectoral bargaining, and social partnership are always the best way of resolving a dispute. In the framework of the UK industrial relations’ system, imposed Minimum Service Levels would aggravate and prolong disputes. We are particularly concerned that workers will be required to work under threat of dismissal when they have voted to take part in a legitimate ballot for industrial action.

Unlike workers in the UK, workers in Spain, Italy, France and Germany enjoy the protection of national sectoral collective bargaining agreements setting minimum standards on workers’ rights for whole industries. These agreements are underpinned by the freedom to take strike action without disproportionate restrictions.

We note that in the UK, workers in rescue services already voluntarily provide protection to the public through ‘life and limb’ cover. Before resorting to attacks on the right to strike, the UK government should offer public service workers a decent pay rise and fill the thousands of vacancies in services like the NHS.

We send our solidarity to workers in the UK taking action to defend not only their jobs, pay, and conditions in this escalating cost of living crisis, but their fundamental right to strike.

Union signatories

Germany:

DGB

Spain:

CCOO

UGT

France:

CFDT

CGT

FO

Italy:

CGIL

CSL

UIL

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