Rishi Sunak has gone from clapping nurses to threatening them with the sack. The prime minister’s fresh assault on rights at work comes hurtling into parliament on Monday with proposals to impose minimum service levels on workers across England, Scotland and Wales. Ministers would be handed new powers to order compulsory “work notices” to be issued to striking workers, who could then be sacked for going on strike.
This shoddy, unworkable bill is a grotesque insult to key workers. As a former union official myself, I know first-hand that taking strike action is always a last resort – not only because it involves giving up a day’s pay but because the commitment to being there for the public runs deep. But the goodwill upon which our public services have been running hit breaking point long ago. While ministers seek to foist the responsibility for crumbling services on to the shoulders of those on the frontlines, they ignore the fact that workers and their unions already shoulder responsibility, ensuring “life and limb” cover even during industrial action.
