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Jun 7, 2018 · On 7 June 1968 women workers at Ford in Dagenham went on strike. This in itself seemed no big deal. The women were sewing machinists who made covers for car seats. The cause of their unrest was unequal pay.
Aug 7, 2024 · The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act will be repealed when the government passes its forthcoming Employment Rights Bill, expected to begin the parliamentary process in October 2024.
Mar 31, 2006 · This paper focuses upon the area of sentencing policy and, in particular, the emergence of so-called ‘two’ and ‘three strikes’ sentencing policies in the United States and the United Kingdom. The paper outlines the contrasting forms and variable impacts of these sentencing policies in different jurisdictions.
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In the post-war period, unions were seen as a vital institution in society, much like the free press. Their power reached its disruptive peak in February 1974, when, during a miners’ strike, Conservative prime minister Edward Heath called an early electionon a platform promising to break the power of unions. The public rejected his offering and he ...
The 1980s saw the anti-union legislative drive begin apace. Laws were introduced gradually, with each new act indicative of the growing confidence of governments in their ability to limit union power. The Employment Act 1980was the first of these. It required unions to replace in-person ballots with postal votes. Thatcher believed the change would ...
A second Employment Actrestricted what counts as a “trade dispute”, effectively outlawing secondary, or “sympathy” strike action. Unions could no longer ballot in support of each other – a key part of their ideals of solidarity and collective pressure. Whereas teachers might once have gone on strike in support of nurses, the 1982 act made this ille...
In 1984, the Trade Union Actmade secret ballots a legal requirement for any strike to be legal. Fans of the 1984 act note that it returned control of the union to its members, although critics suggested it vilified union leaders, portraying them as “barons” taking advantage of their members. The Thatcherite position on this was justified when, duri...
Retaining the theme of protecting “moderate” trade unionists from “barons”, the Thatcher government introduced the Employment Act 1988. This protected workers who refused to strike from being punished. This could further be used as propaganda by employers and the government to portray unions as villains, and those trying to go to work as heroes.
Changes to the Employment Actin 1990 granted employers the ability to dismiss workers who took part in unofficial strike action. Any subsequent strike action relating to that dismissal would also be unlawful, further entrenching the power of employers over unions.
John Major’s government introduced the Trade Unions and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act, which states that a union must be recognised by an employer before legal industrial action can happen. A large group of employees could belong to a union, but if the employer did not recognise it, then no industrial relations could occur.
A minimum of seven days’ notice before strike action was required by the 1993 Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Act, giving employers time to undermine or otherwise minimise the consequences of strike action. With the disruption caused by strike action reduced, it became harder for unions to make their case heard, reducing the visibility of ...
New Labour’s 1997 election victory brought hope that trade union influence would be restored. However, this did not occur. Workers were instead supported indirectly through mechanisms such as minimum wage, which had a secondary effect of reducing union power, by reducing the need for collective bargaining. The Conservatives returned to power in 201...
In July, the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations Act was repealedto allow employers to hire temporary agency workers to undercut strike action. The maximum penalty a union could face for conducting an unlawful strike was raised to £1 million. Now, the government is proposing a law that would mean that employers in fiv...
- Steven Daniels
Jan 5, 2023 · The government wants to lessen the impact of strikes in half a dozen public services. But what difference will its planned new law make, and by when?
Jan 10, 2023 · New laws will allow government to set minimum levels of service which must be met during strikes to ensure the safety of the public and their access to public services.
People also ask
How will new laws affect public services during strikes?
What if there is a strike action?
When will the strikes (minimum service levels) act be repealed?
Why is the government introducing a strike law?
How long do unions have to vote for strike action?
Why did the Ford machinists go on strike again?
Nov 10, 2016 · 1968: Ford sewing machinists' strike. Immortalised in the 2010 film "Made in Dagenham", this strike by a group of women who stitched the seats for thousands of Ford cars, has become a celebrated...
