Labour’s new plan for workers’ rights, led by Angela Rayner, might actually make things worse instead of better. In Birmingham, rubbish has been piling up in the streets for eight weeks because of a bin worker strike.
Now, similar strikes are spreading to places like Sheffield, where workers are in a dispute with Veolia, the company that manages waste services. Strikers even brought a huge inflatable rat to their protests, showing how angry they are.
Unite union boss Sharon Graham warned that any company working with Veolia would face pressure from the union. They’ve already started protesting at Leeds City Hall, since the council there also works with Veolia. This company provides services to 15 million people in over 25 areas across the UK.
With things getting this bad, you might expect the government to step in and stop the chaos. But instead, they’re supporting a law that could make strikes more common. Angela Rayner, who got £10,000 from Unite during the election, says her Employment Rights Bill will improve worker relations. But many believe it will only lead to more strikes like the ones in Birmingham.
The government even admits the bill might cost businesses £5 billion a year and lead to job losses. But what people haven’t really noticed yet is how much easier it will make going on strike.
For example, the bill lowers the number of workers needed to form a union—from 10% to just 2%. It also gets rid of the rule that 40% of workers must support union recognition.
When it comes to striking, the rules are being relaxed too. Right now, at least half of union members must vote, and 40% must agree to strike. The new bill removes those rules—only a simple majority is needed, no matter how few people vote.
Lastly, the bill takes away the rule that someone must be in charge of keeping strikes safe and orderly. Without this, things could get out of hand—like in Birmingham, where aggressive strikers might’ve blocked efforts to clean the streets and worsened a public health risk.
In short, this new bill makes it easier for unions to strike, and harder for the country to keep running smoothly. If Keir Starmer wants to protect public services like waste collection, he should stop this bill from going forward.
