Businesses call for strike action law change
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is urging the
government to urgently reform the laws that define strike action by
public sector workers, before the most extreme spending cuts come
in.
The CBI has warned that the private sector and the country in
general could grind to a halt if the government does not implement
changes to make it harder for public sector workers to go on
strike. Proposed changes include raising the threshold for strike
votes so that action can only be taken if it is backed by more than
40% of the membership who receive a ballot paper.
They want to be able to use agency temps to cover striking
workers and to increase the industrial action notice period from
seven to 14 days.
Deputy director of the CBI, John Cridland, said, "While workers
have the legal right to withdraw their labour, employers have a
responsibility to run their businesses."
"The public increasingly expects it to be business as usual,
even during a strike, so firms must be allowed to hire temps
directly from an agency to provide emergency cover for striking
workers."
The call has been roundly condemned by union leaders, however,
who say any change of law would be a "fundamental attack" on human
rights. The government has so far refused to change public sector
legislation, but Cabinet Office Minister, Francis Maude,
acknowledged on the weekend that they were considering all options
"across the industrial relations landscape."