This is what a fundamental power shift looks like. Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, has swept away the worst of the Tories’ strike-banning laws. The 2023 law, known as the Strikes (Minimum Services Levels) Act, denied the right to strike for 20% of workers, contravening human rights law. Within Labour’s first 100 days in power – so before 13 October – the government will introduce a new working rights law. This could radically redress the balance of power between employees and employers.
The assault on unions by Tory governments showed how easily undefended rights of all kinds are lost. Practices such as fire and rehire, zero-hours contracts and extreme barriers to union recognition have infringed on workers’ rights that were won eons ago. Thanks to anti-union laws membership has halved, from 13 million in 1979 to 6.7 million in 2021. As a result, pay as a share of GDP has fallen; in 1975, it accounted for 72%, and last year it accounted for 59%.
