Minimum services Bill slammed

The TUC has described as “scathing” a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, which reached committee stage in the House of Lords last month.

The EHRC warned the legislation could see all striking workers in affected sectors losing their automatic unfair dismissal protection.

The House of Lords’ delegated powers and regulatory reform committee criticised the Bill for “giving blanket powers to ministers while providing virtually no detail”, the TUC reported. The Joint Committee on Human Rights said it failed to meet human rights obligations.

The TUC, Equality Trust charity, Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants and the Runnymede Trust race equality think tank warned the Bill “will be a huge step backwards for tackling racism at work”.

They say Black and minority ethnic workers are overrepresented in sectors affected by the Bill and will be disproportionately affected.

The RCN nurses’ and BMA doctors’ unions called for an amendment prohibiting the government from specifying minimum service levels for health services during strikes unless it has first established appropriate and legally enforceable staffing levels across health services on non-strike days.

BMA council chair Philip Banfield said: “Until patient safety in the NHS is the government’s priority, 365 days a year, it is nothing short of shameful for the government to suggest that they only need to ensure minimum service levels in the NHS during strikes.”