Representing millions of workers in the UK, as well as Usdaw, the unions behind the successful legal action included: ASLEF, BFAWU, FDA, GMB, NEU, NUJ, POA, PCS, RMT and Unite. They were co-ordinated by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and represented by Thompsons Solicitors LLP.
The proposals have been heavily criticised by unions, agencies, employers and parliamentarians. The TUC had warned these new laws would worsen industrial disputes, undermine the fundamental right to strike and could endanger public safety if agency staff are required to fill safety critical roles but haven’t been fully trained.
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “Our victory in the High Court was a huge embarrassment for the Government and demonstrated that Ministers were prepared to break the law to break a strike. It is now time for these divisive proposals to be dropped because they will create unnecessary tensions between employers and their employees, making it more difficult to resolve disputes.
“It beggars belief that, in the midst of a cost of living emergency, the Government is engaged in ideological attacks on workers’ rights. Instead of undermining trade union members, the Government should be working with us on urgent plans to eliminate low-pay and insecure work. Only Labour is offering a new deal for workers that will deliver the change our members desperately need.”
The next Labour Government will deliver a new deal that includes:
- Making work pay with a genuine living wage that people can actually live on.
- Banning zero-hours contracts.
- Ending fire and rehire.
- Giving workers basic rights from day one.
- Going further and faster in closing the gender pay gap.
- Making work more family friendly.
- Tackling sexual harassment.
- Ensuring that unions can stand up for their members.
- Boosting collective bargaining, to improve workers’ pay, terms and conditions.
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades
www.usdaw.org.uk
Hiring agency staff to cover industrial action: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/hiring-agency-staff-to-cover-industrial-action/hiring-agency-staff-to-cover-industrial-action
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter
@UsdawUnion