Sunak raises his hand with the unions by presenting a law to stop strikes

Stick and carrot. This is the strategy that the British government has followed in the face of the wave of strikes that is shaking the country. So, less than 24 hours after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed his willingness to negotiate with unions that have wage disputes with his administration, his Commerce Minister, Grant Shapps, raised his wrist on Thursday with sectors in conflict. presenting a bill that tightens the conditions for the exercise of the right to strike by some workers.

The draft obliges unions to guarantee in sectors such as public transport, health and education minimum services in case of labor disputes. And, if they are not met, the instrument authorizes employers, public or private, to sue the strikers and even to fire them.

In addition to protecting the freedom to strike, the government must also protect the lives and livelihoods of citizens (…). The introduction of minimum services, which we expect to be provided, restore the balance between those seeking to strike and protect the public from disproportionate disruptionjustifies Shapps to the BBC.

The government’s initiative came on the third day of strikes called by railway unions, which have left cities close to London such as Brighton or Heathrow and Gatwick airports without rail links. Paul Nowak, general secretary of the Workers’ Union Congress (TUC), called the bill unfeasible and illegal. This is an attack on the right to strike. It is an attack on workers and it is an attack on one of our long held British freedoms.. This government has gone from applauding key workers to threatening sacking if they take legal action for a pay rise, he added.

The Labor leader pronounced himself in similar terms Keir Starmerwho gave his first big speech of the year this Thursday promised to cancel the text to reach the government. This legislation will not work and will make an already bad situation worse, warned the premier.

Embracing Brexit?

Another striking element of Starmer’s intervention is that he appropriated the motto regain control (take back control) that the brexiters used during the campaign for the 2016 referendum, where the United Kingdom was decided to leave the European Union.

However, the opponent has done so not to defend the divorce but to promise that he will initiate the deep process decentralization and transfer of competences from London to regions and municipalities. Decisions that create wealth in our communities must benefit those communities. Taking power from Westminster can transform our economy, our politics and our democracy, she said.