Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill
On 16th January 2023, the House of Commons was asked to vote on the 2nd Reading of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill. This is to indicate whether the Commons broadly supports a Bill that has been introduced or not.
Darren, his Labour colleagues and the other Opposition parties, all voted against the Bill citing its attack on the rights of working people to strike, that it would not end the strikes currently taking place or meet minimum standards that are not being met on non-strike days due to the impact of austerity.
Darren will not vote to support this Bill at any stage of the parliamentary process and will do what he can to persuade the Government to think again about this Bill.
You can read Darren’s response as follows:
Dear Constituent,
Thank you for contacting me about the right to strike and the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill.
I completely agree with you on this important issue. I opposed the Bill at its Second Reading on 16th January because it threatens teachers and nurses with the sack during a staffing crisis, attacks the fundamental freedoms of working people and does nothing to resolve the underlying problems affecting our public services.
Working people are facing the largest fall in living standards in a generation, with bills skyrocketing and wages unable to keep up. We are also seeing severe staff shortages in the health, rail and other sectors. It is in this context that the past few months have seen the largest strike disruption in decades, with rail workers, ambulance workers and nurses taking unprecedented industrial action.
It is deeply worrying that rather than seek practical solutions to these issues, the Government is instead seeking to push through a law that will hand Ministers new powers to order compulsory “work notices” to be issued to striking workers, who could then be sacked for going on strike.
I believe this Bill is wrong in principle. The right to strike is a fundamental one in our society, yet the Bill will effectively withdraw that right from hundreds of thousands of workers.
I also believe the Bill is unnecessary. While the Government argues that it is seeking to ensure public safety, the Bill does not mention safety once. We all want minimum standards of service, safety and staffing in essential services, but it is this Government that is failing to provide them.
Finally, I believe the Bill is unworkable. The Transport Secretary has admitted the proposals would do nothing to resolve the current strikes, while the Education Secretary says she hopes they are not applied to schools. The Government’s impact assessment on minimum service levels for transport, meanwhile, warned that the plans could lead to more strikes and staff shortages.
Please see my contribution to the debate that took place in the House of Commons as follows: https://twitter.com/darrenpjones/status/1615101150159683586?cxt=HHwWhIC-uYv8_uksAAAA
Unfortunately, the Bill passed its Second Reading in the Commons with the support of Conservative MPs. I can assure you that I will continue to oppose it at every remaining stage and to repeal it should Labour form the next government.
Please do let me know if I can provide further support.
Yours sincerely,
DarrenDarren Jones MP
Member of Parliament for Bristol North West