The strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill - an attack on worker and human rights

Conference condemns in the strongest possible terms the governments planned anti worker legislation, following the wave of industrial action ballots in response to the cost of living crisis which is nothing more than a biased political attack on workers and the trade union movement.

The proposed legislation targets minimum service levels for fire, ambulance, and rail services, education, other transport services, border security, health services and nuclear decommissioning.

The strikes bill shows the government is working against trade unions, unwilling to properly negotiate and is instead focusing its energy on further limiting workers’ ability to strike.

Under the new legislation, employers will be able to issue a work notice to staff required to meet minimum service levels. Those workers who take industrial action, regardless of being requested to work, lose their right to automatic protection from unfair dismissal.

Fire Brigades Union (FBU) Members were rightly angered by the recent criticisms made of our service and our profession by His/Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). These criticisms, set out in three reports issued by HMICFRS, were part of the preparation of a serious attack on our service, our Union and our Members.

This attack also targeted the pay, conditions and collective rights of firefighters, and the ability and role of the FBU, and now we have been included in this anti strike legislation – at the very time we were balloting our Members over pay following 12 years of pay restraint and a service and industry struggling after losing a quarter of its workforce nationally under successive governments.

The FBU and the entire movement needs to be loud and clear in response to this political attack on our rights, our movement and our conditions of service – we will not accept any attempts to dismantle our collective labour rights or any attempt at silencing the voices of our Members.

Conference demands the Executive Council commits to opposing this legislation with all means necessary including a legal, political and industrial response.