News that rail workers in England and Scotland are moving towards industrial action has seen the UK government reportedly draw up plans to counter the effects on passengers and food distribution. This could involved imposing a minimum service level on rail workers, effectively curbing their right to strike. Gregor Gall writes that aside from questions over how this would work practically and legally, there’s good reason to believe such measures would only make the situation worse.

On May 24 2022, the results of the 17 industrial action ballots from the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers showed overwhelming support for action. If the mandates are implemented, this coordinated industrial action is set to trigger what the unions are dubbing a “summer of discontent”. The disruption could extend northwards too, as rail workers in Scotland ballot for action as well despite Scotrail being in public ownership since April 1 2022.

The government plan is to require that in any instance of industrial action (such as a strike or an overtime ban), a minimum number of staff continue to work. The idea was first touted by the Tories during the the long-running rail disputes of the mid to late 2010s. In their 2019 general election manifesto, they pledged to legislate on rail service during strikes.

Quite how this would work though is as yet unclear.

Read the full article on The Conversation website 

First published: 25 May 2022

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