The Government’s Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, that they have rushed to get through is unworkable, impractical and a complete attack on the fundamental rights of workers.

Last night I voted against it.

Due to time constraints, I was not able to deliver my full speech as planned, however you can read my full speech, and watch my contribution in the Chamber below.

Can I start by declaring an interest, Mr Speaker? I am a proud member of both Unite the Union and GMB.

Prior to being elected to this place I worked for Unite for over a decade.

I know first-hand the amazing work that trade unions do in representing their members in the workplace.

Contrary to what some Members on the benches opposite may have us believe, trade unions want their workplaces to thrive.

They know a productive workplace needs a happy, motivated workforce.

They know when companies make large profits, they can seek pay rises for their members.

They also know when workplaces struggle, unions need to work with the employer to have it survive.

We all know how many public sector workers kept our country moving during the pandemic.

They worked night and day to keep us safe.

And how does this government seek to repay them?

Firstly, with a derisory pay offer.

Then, now the unions have voted to strike rather than rollover and accept the offer, the Prime Minister has resorted to launching a fundamental attack on workers’ freedom.

[As colleagues have pointed out before me], this bill is unworkable and impractical.

Ministers argue that this legislation will bring us into line with other countries that have Minimum Service Levels in place.

However, this simply is not the case and unions in Europe have stated that the proposals would widen the gap between labour laws in the UK and the EU.

Unlike other European countries such as France, Spain, Germany and Italy, there is no positive legal right to strike in the UK and unions already have additional hurdles to clear before action can take place.

There are also key differences in how the Minimum Service Levels are agreed.

In France, for example, the relevant legislation has been in place since 2008 but levels are agreed through negotiations with trade unions.

In Spain, although the constitution and current legislation require certain “essential” services to be maintained during a strike, unions can appeal decisions on minimum service levels through the civil courts.

This has led to messy legal battles – often lasting up to a year – which further delay solutions to industrial action.

By contrast, the UK Government’s bill would allow the Secretary of State to decide statutory minimum service levels for the sectors within the scope of the legislation without the need for any such negotiation.

Minimum Service Levels also don’t stop strikes in Europe, Mr Speaker.

Between 2010 and 2020, France lost almost six times as many days to strikes as the UK, and Spain lost more than twice as many.

Ironically, we do actually already have Minimum Service Levels in place in the UK, negotiated between the unions and the employers.

I remember when I joined a picket line with striking fire men and women.

They told me how they had agreed with their employer that if there were any fire or other emergency, they would jump into their fire engines and be straight there.

None of them wanted to see anyone lose their lives because of their action, which was their last resort.

They ensured there was a mutual voluntary agreement, not through legislation, which we know happens all over the public sector.

I turn now to Clause 3 of the bill which will hand the Government so-called Henry VIII (8^th) powers to amend or repeal the law via secondary legislation.

As you will be very aware, Mr Speaker, crucially this will permit Ministers to make changes without full scrutiny from Parliament.

I’m sure everyone in this place will remember that we saw this before with the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, when the Government handed itself Henry VIII powers to deal with existing UK laws that came from or were related to EU ones.

This led to legal campaign group The Good Law Project becoming so concerned about the potential for rights and protections to be removed form UK law without proper scrutiny that it sought a judicial review of the act.

Now they’re at it again, Mr Speaker. They are giving themselves sweeping powers that will enable them to change the rules without coming back to this House to seek its approval.

The bill does not give any indication of what will constituent a minimum level of service, meaning that the Secretary of State will be able to change this at their discretion.

It seems to me, Mr Speaker, that having stretched public services and the workforce to breaking point, the Government’s solution is to create conditions in which workers can be forced into work and are unable to withhold their labour, no matter what the employer does.

Is that really the kind of Britain we want to be a part of?

One in which workers’ freedoms are being restricted to the extent that they could potentially be sacked for standing up for their rights?

Our public services are in crisis and it is clear that action needed to be taken.

However, it didn’t have to be this way.

Public sector workers are proud of the role they play in society, saving and protecting lives, but they need to be valued, and their voices matter.

When our NHS workers say they are worried about public health in the NHS, we need to listen, not curtail the right for their voices to be heard.

The Government could, and should, have negotiated with the trade unions to get a decent settlement.

They need to listen closely to the concerns that workers across the country have been raising.

I thoroughly believe that when we work together, we achieve better outcomes.

That is all the Government needs to do, Mr Speaker, and it’s really not that complicated.

If the Prime Minister really wanted to bring workers’ rights in line with European standards, he would be bringing forward the Employment Bill his party promised.

Instead, he is threatening public sector workers with the sack.

My Labour colleagues and I will be voting against this bill tonight.

I hope there are some brave Conservatives who will join us, along with Members from other parties.

But if it passes, please rest assured that the next L#abour government, which I hope won’t be too far away, will repeal this disgraceful, dangerous anti-worker legislation.