Local authority leaders criticise minimum service levels
‘Unfair’ and ‘undemocratic’ minimum service levels will lead to ‘more frequent and longer strikes’, according to mayors and council leaders from across UK.
In a joint statement, local government leaders said they would work with trade unions and employers to ‘explore every possible option’ to prevent work notices being issued in their areas. The statement was issued on Saturday by the mayors of Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire, London, the Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, North of Tyne, and Bristol, along with the leaders of Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle and Nottingham councils. It came after regulations were passed in Parliament last week that detailed minimum service levels for rail workers, border staff and the ambulance service, after the Strikes (Minimum Service Level) Act received royal assent in July.
Minimum service levels for other sectors, such as education, are expected to follow. In the statement, local authority leaders said: ‘The Government’s proposals for minimum service levels in the event of strike action would place severe and unacceptable restrictions on the fundamental right of a worker to take industrial action to defend their pay and conditions. ‘They are unfair, undemocratic, and likely to put the UK in breach of our international legal commitments.
‘Crucially, they would make disputes harder to solve and lead to more frequent and longer strikes.’
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham also said the introduction of minimum service levels ‘undermines devolution, as services in Greater Manchester such as transport are devolved, with no role for government in decisions such as service levels.’
