Zarah Sultana MP, Coventry South and FBU parliamentary group chair, on why she will oppose attacks on the right to strike and workers’ living standards
After proposing below-inflation pay rises, the Tories are proposing mandatory minimum service levels (MSLs) in fire and rescue, as well as in other key sectors.
In essence, this is a ban on key workers taking effective strike action.
I will be your voice in Parliament, but as a labour movement we must take to the streets to oppose this authoritarian legislation.
I will fight to defend your democratic right to withdraw your labour.
This latest attack on your rights comes after more than a decade of Tory assaults on fire and rescue services: Central government funding is down 30%; one in five firefighter jobs have been lost; nearly 50 fire stations have been closed; and more than 200 fire appliances in England have been removed.
It is no surprise that fire response times are now significantly slower than they were a decade ago.
After running down our fire and rescue service, it seems a cruel joke for the Tories to say they care about “minimum service levels”.
The Strike (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, would undermine the right of firefighters and other workers to take strike action in defence of their living standards.
The Tories’ Commons majority means it could be in force as early as this summer.
I will be your voice in Parliament, but as a labour movement we must take to the streets to oppose this authoritarian legislation.
It will be challenged in the courts, but it cannot be defeated there alone.
