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Industrial Action
10 January 2023
Lead MP
Grant Shapps
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
Migrants & BordersUkraineEconomyEmploymentTransport
Other Contributors: 43
At a Glance
Grant Shapps raised concerns about industrial action in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement on industrial action and minimum service levels. The Government acknowledges the importance of key workers such as nurses, paramedics, and transport workers who are vital to the functioning of the country. However, we also recognise the pressures faced by those working in the public sector. The Government has invited union leaders for talks across different sectors with a view to resolving disputes while ensuring fairness to taxpayers. Given high inflation caused by the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, granting pay deals that exceed the independent review process is not feasible. We are committed to consulting unions and employers on meaningful ways forward. To protect public services during strikes, the Government will introduce legislation for minimum service levels in blue-light emergency services and railways, aligning with European countries such as France and Spain. The Bill aims to ensure basic functions of health, education, fire and rescue, transport, border security, and nuclear decommissioning are maintained. The minister emphasised that while the government supports workers' right to strike, it is imperative to protect public safety and livelihoods during industrial actions.
Angela Rayner
Lab
Ashton-under-Lyne
Question
The shadow spokesperson criticised the government’s response to the economic crisis and questioned whether progress was made in talks with unions. She also pointed out that strikes were happening due to the current state of chaos under this government, highlighting the death of a constituent waiting for an ambulance on a non-strike day.
Minister reply
The minister responded by emphasising the government's commitment to protecting public safety and livelihoods during industrial actions. He acknowledged the pressures faced by key workers but maintained that granting pay deals exceeding independent review processes is not feasible given current economic conditions.
Angela Rayner
Lab
Ashton-under-Lyne
Question
The member criticises the government for causing the economic crisis and failing to find a long-term solution. She also challenges the Minister on his claim of making progress in negotiations with unions, questioning whether there is any real consultation or genuine commitment to addressing workers' issues.
Minister reply
Minister responds by pointing out that global events such as the pandemic and war have put immense pressure on health services worldwide. He argues for balancing workers’ rights to strike with ensuring minimum safety levels for constituents.
Question
The MP asks if the measures proposed are fair and proportionate, similar to those in place in other European countries like France and Spain.
Minister reply
Minister agrees that the legislation is fair and proportionate, aligning with practices in modern European economies. He also mentions historical precedents such as banning police from striking since 1919.
Question
The member criticises the Government for attacking workers’ rights under the guise of protecting public services, highlighting economic mismanagement and opposition to Scottish devolution in this matter.
Minister reply
Minister responds by arguing that the legislation is moderate and sensible, aligning with practices elsewhere. He also notes that despite working with unions, there are still strikes occurring in Scotland.
Selaine Saxby
Lib Dem
Penwith and Falmouth
Question
Strikes have a disproportionate impact in rural Britain, where there are no other modes of public transport. The nearest alternative hospital may be more than 60 miles away and ambulances have already travelled far further to get there, and that is without mentioning the vacancy rates in public services, which are so high due to our housing crisis. Can my right hon. Friend confirm how these measures will help support rural communities?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is right. These so-called forever strikes, which have continued for month after month on the railways, are particularly hurting rural communities. It is easy sometimes for people to imagine that those affected will just sit at home on Zoom or Teams and have those conversations. That view of the world is much easier for someone in a desk job, perhaps in management. It is much harder for someone in a rural community or for a hospital porter or cleaner who needs to get to the hospital. The very people being hurt most by these strikes that never seem to come to a conclusion on the railways are the hardest-up in society. This Government will stand behind them with minimum service levels.
Ian Lavery
Lab
Blyth and Ashington
Question
One minute the Secretary of State is clapping the key workers, and the next he is sacking them. What is really behind this legislation? Only time will tell, but why is he looking to criminalise the great key workers who brought us through this pandemic, and whose only crime is to demand decent wages and terms and conditions, as well as a safe environment for themselves and the general public?
Minister reply
I appreciate that the hon. Gentleman is an enthusiastic supporter of everything that the unions do, and they are an enthusiastic supporter of the hon. Gentleman. If one of his constituents has a heart attack, stroke or serious accident on Wednesday, I do not understand why he would seriously have an objection to a national level of agreed safe services? That is what we propose and I am surprised that he would vote against the safety of his own constituents.
Julian Lewis
Con
New Forest East
Question
Will my right hon. Friend try to impress on Opposition Members, who keep referring to this as an anti-union measure, that public support for the unions will be endangered if they do not preserve minimum services for people whose lives are at risk?
Minister reply
My right hon. Friend makes an excellent point. We are trying to correct a problem that is very current. Ambulance workers and the unions have not provided a national level of guaranteed safety for the strike that is due on Wednesday. Right hon. and hon. Members on the Opposition Benches could help us get that in place across the economy, particularly in vital services, so that even though we take this primary power, we never need to use it. That would be the ideal solution.
Andy McDonald
Lab
Middlesbrough and Thornaby East
Question
The Secretary of State has said that he supports the right to strike—by banning workers from striking. Does he not see the ridiculous position he has got himself into? The whole point of having an assessment of policy is to find out whether it will work. When the Government are told that their policy is bonkers, the sensible thing to do is to bin it. Where does he think declaring war on working people will end?
Minister reply
As I have mentioned a couple of times at the Dispatch Box, the hon. Gentleman will need to explain his position to his friends and colleagues in countries as radical as France and Spain, where they have these rules in place and act already. On the impact assessment, which is a point that has been made several times, including from the Opposition Front Bench, the final impact assessment—which will come through primary legislation, with secondary legislation in the form of statutory instruments to bring it into place—is yet to be published.
Richard Drax
Con
South Dorset
Question
Coming back through Heathrow recently, I spoke to someone who works there who praised the armed forces for the incredible job they did covering Border Force, and told me how the process worked without any problems at all, and what a sad reflection it was on the public service that they could not do the same thing. Does my right hon. Friend agree that Opposition Members, the unions and many who work in the public service seem to have forgotten that we spent £400 billion safeguarding their jobs, their futures and their careers?
Minister reply
I pay tribute to the Army, who did fantastic work. The Army has a no-strike clause already, along with the police. Once this primary power has been taken, it will be for Secretaries of State, including the Home Secretary, to determine and consult in other areas for secondary powers to bring in minimum service levels.
Christine Jardine
Lib Dem
Edinburgh West
Question
The right hon. Member asked whether we acknowledge the impact of covid and Ukraine. Of course we do—we live with it every day. All our constituents live with it every day. All those working in the NHS and the ambulance service live with it every day. He says that the British people need to know that an ambulance will turn up when they have a heart attack, a stroke or a serious injury, and that they will have access to hospital care. Does he not agree that a better way of ensuring that is to deal with the actual problem: to invest, recruit and retain staff in the NHS and the ambulance service, and provide the service that is being cried out for not just by us but by those people? Rather than tinkering about with what cannot solve the problem, fixing it might be a better way.
Minister reply
The hon. Lady is right in the sense that we have seen huge backlogs because of covid. We are hiring a lot more nurses as a result—thousands more since 2019. We are also funding the healthcare system more than ever in history with some £168 billion.
Lee Anderson
Reform
Ashfield
Question
It is important to remember that public sector workers are employed and paid for by the great British taxpayer. I sympathise with some of their demands, but does my right hon. Friend agree that their first loyalty should be to the British taxpayer, not some power-crazed union barons who fund the Labour party and have, in the past, paid off Labour MPs’ mortgages?
Minister reply
I pay tribute to those in the NHS: there is a very good reason why, when the public sector in this country got a zero pay rise last year because of covid, over 1 million people in the NHS did receive a pay rise. At the moment it is worth about £1,400 per individual.
Rachael Maskell
Lab Co-op
York Central
Question
I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. With the Royal College of Emergency Medicine highlighting more than 300 excess deaths every single week, where is the Government’s minimum service level agreement to the public? The best way to avert a strike is to negotiate. Within the Secretary of State’s legislation, what obligations will there be on Government to enter meaningful negotiations, and how does he describe “meaningful”?
Minister reply
I want to pick up the hon. Lady on those figures, because the NHS itself says that it does not recognise those numbers. When we have a strike such as the one on Wednesday by ambulance workers, there is no way that she or anyone else in this House can realistically argue that people will somehow be better off without a national minimum safe level of service.
Laura Farris
Con
Cannock Chase
Question
My right hon. Friend was right to mention other European countries, but he could have added to that list South Africa, Argentina, Australia and Canada, all of which are members of the International Labour Organisation and have minimum service levels in essential services. In every single case, the ILO has reviewed the MSL and determined it to be a necessary and proportionate restriction of the article 11 right to strike. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the British people are entitled to exactly the same lawful protection and to have their basic needs met at times of industrial action in essential services?
Minister reply
It is worth reminding the House that my hon. Friend is an acknowledged expert in employment law. I am grateful for her thoughts and clarification that the International Labour Organisation says that the legislation is compatible with article 11.
Chris Stephens
SNP
Glasgow North West
Question
Every single concern that the Secretary of State and all those on the Government Benches have raised so far is already covered by existing legislation, because trade unions are legally obliged to provide life and limb cover. That is the existing law. Will the Secretary of State tell us what the difference is between that and his proposed legislation? That will be the test of whether the new legislation is an attack on workers.
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman raises a good point, which I am pleased to answer. When strikes are taking place tomorrow and we are not able to get a simple answer to the question of what the national level of emergency cover will be for people in the most urgent situations—heart attacks, strokes and other life-threatening ailments—that is why we need minimum safety levels. When for many, many months, some of the poorest in society have been unable to go to work to earn their own living, perhaps as a cleaner or a hospital porter, that is why we need minimum service levels on our railways.
Nickie Aiken
Con
Cannock Chase
Question
Last week I met Daniel Jobsz, who runs the Wardrobe Bar and Kitchen in the City. He did not open last week; he said there was no point, because of the rail strike. Before Christmas, he lost tens of thousands of pounds because people were cancelling, as they could not come into central London because of the rail strike. UKHospitality calculates that around £1 billion of business was lost in central London because of the rail strikes. Does my right hon. Friend agree that, while it is right to protect the right to strike, there must be legislation in place to protect businesses in other sectors, such as hospitality, and to protect workers from job losses?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend makes an excellent point, and it brings me on to an important consideration, which is the disparity between the public sector settlements on offer and the average in the private sector at the moment, which has typically been lower. It is right that, as a responsible Government, we have to balance off all these different considerations across the economy. It is right that we consider those running small businesses—tea rooms, pubs and the services sector—in this balance, which is why minimum service levels, as well as minimum safety levels, are right for this economy.
Richard Burgon
Lab
Leeds East
Question
I have listened carefully to what the Secretary of State has had to say, and however he tries to dress it up, this is part of an alarming authoritarian drift. We have an attack on the democratic right to strike, an attack on the democratic right to vote through attempted vote rigging, with the introduction of voter ID, and an attack on the democratic right to peaceful protest. Is the Secretary of State not ashamed to be a member of the most authoritarian Government in Britain in living memory?
Minister reply
I have heard some stuff at this Dispatch Box, but the idea that this is the most authoritarian Government—has the hon. Gentleman seen what happens in truly authoritarian states, particularly in Marxist states? It is a ludicrous claim about British democracy. Actually, he can help, with his many union links, because all we are saying is that we will take powers to ensure that the minimum safety level exists. We are saying at the same time that we do not need to use these powers; we simply need to get agreement for his constituents and for all our constituents that on a strike day, an ambulance will be able to turn up because national levels have been agreed.
Guildford
Question
Last week, rail users in Guildford trying to get in and out of the constituency, including key workers, were completely cut off because there were zero trains. At no point have the Opposition condemned widespread strike action that disrupts the public. Will my right hon. Friend join me in asking the Opposition to back the measures we are putting forward, to keep the public safe and to keep our economy going and growing?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We are on the side of people who are working hard, who are trying to get on with their lives and livelihoods, and who are concerned about their lives when it comes to emergency services. Who are Opposition Members interested in? Not once have I heard them condemn these strikes, which have been inflicted on people’s lives month after month—not a word from the Opposition. When we try to bring in even the most moderate and considerate legislation, which simply says that we will ask for a minimum safety level, what do they do? They object to it and attack their own constituents in the process.
Colum Eastwood
SDLP
Foyle
Question
I know that the Secretary of State likes to fly around in his own private plane, but I can tell him for a fact that while he has been doing that, many nurses in my constituency have been accessing food banks. This Government seem very uncomfortable with nurses standing on picket lines but totally relaxed about them lining up to get food for their families at food banks. If this Government are serious about stopping the strikes, surely now is the time to pay these essential workers properly.
Minister reply
I would be interested to hear from those on the Labour Front Bench whether it is their policy to pay a 19% pay rise and, if so, whether they can explain how they will raise the extra money. Will it be extra taxation? Will they be putting it on borrowing, with all the hikes in interest rates, mortgage rates, car loans and the rest of it that that would bring? That is the question they need to answer, and the more they waffle around the subject, rather than bringing forward serious measures to limit the impact of these strikes at the most serious point—the life and death point—the less they will get the respect of the general public.
Greg Smith
Con
Mid Buckinghamshire
Question
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right to bring forward these proportionate measures, and not least in the urgency with which he seeks to protect the safety and lives of all our constituents at risk from strike action. Children have suffered in these strikes; many children in Buckinghamshire use the railways to get to school. Does he agree that when the consultation comes forward, the ability of children to get to school on the railways must be included in the minimum service levels?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. We have talked about workers getting to work and people losing their salaries because of these strikes, but children and their education are also being impacted. That is a crying shame, particularly after two years of covid and having to study from home, and now they are being put through this again when there is a decent offer on the table for the railways.
Jeremy Corbyn
Ind
Islington North
Question
Can the Secretary of State not just for once acknowledge the stress levels of workers—postal workers, rail workers, health workers and teachers—who have had 10 years of frozen pay and 10 years of reducing living standards and are going through enormous stress at work, with many leaving the teaching and nursing professions as a result of it? Nobody is likely to vote to take strike action unless it is an act of desperation; they do it because they want to get decent pay for themselves, their loved ones and their families. Can he not for once face the issue of the poverty that people face, rather than trying to bring in draconian laws to prevent people from taking effective action to remedy the injustice that they are facing?
Minister reply
It is obviously not true that there has been a pay freeze for 10 years. The right hon. Gentleman stands there and makes that claim, but as I just mentioned, because the NHS was under huge pressure during covid, 1.2 million nurses and workers in the NHS were provided with an uplift of £1,200 last year, with £1,400 proposed this year—at the time, inflation was low—even though the rest of the public sector was not receiving pay increases.
Chris Loder
Con
West Worcestershire
Question
Does my right hon. Friend agree that when unions such as the RMT reduce their customary referendum period from 14 to six days to force through a false ballot result to strike and then go to strike straightaway, against what are necessarily the wishes of all members, this is an important statement to make and an important piece of legislation? Will he confirm how promptly he will bring forward this Bill?
Minister reply
The Bill is being introduced today. My hon. Friend is absolutely right about this. We have seen that the RMT has not put the offers to its members, which, as I mentioned before, is a real problem. When the TSSA put an almost identical offer to its members, it was accepted and the strike was therefore over.
Joanna Cherry
SNP
Edinburgh South
Question
I noticed a moment ago that the Secretary of State said that striking workers were in danger of pushing up interest rates. I remind him that many of those people are on strike because they cannot afford their mortgages or rent as a result of the hike in interest rates caused by his colleagues’ economic incompetence.
Minister reply
I do not know whether I am correcting myself or the hon. and learned Lady, but I was not saying—I did not mean to say, at least—that striking workers pushed up interest rates. It is inflation that pushes up interest rates. If we paid a 19% increase across the economy, we would have to borrow the money; we would then have more borrowing and more debt and, therefore, higher interest rates. Everybody would pay more on their mortgages and car loans.
Jonathan Gullis
Con
Stoke-on-Trent North
Question
I proudly put on the record my entry on the Register of Members’ Financial Interests as a former teacher and a former trade union member and representative for the NASUWT. I am very worried seeing teachers going on strike, because it is the pupils who will suffer most, particularly disadvantaged pupils from areas such as Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke.
Minister reply
Minimum levels of service in education and elsewhere will of course help. Again, I want to stress to the House that we do not necessarily want or wish to introduce legislation in all these areas; that will be a matter for the House in secondary legislation and for further consultation.
Zarah Sultana
Lab
Coventry South
Question
Nurses’ pay down 20%, teachers’ pay down 20%, firefighters’ pay down 12%, junior doctors’ pay down 26%—these are the consequences of 13 years of Tory rule. Let us be honest and talk about the real problem here: it is not workers going on strike, but the Tory Government and the economy they have built, which forcers workers to strike.
Minister reply
The hon. Lady might want to inquire of Members on her Front Bench—most of them are gone now, but one or two are still here—whether they would support a 19% pay increase. If they would, nice as that would be to do, how would they explain it to their constituents and to the financial markets as interest rates rise?
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. It is not often I get called to speak before halfway through, but I am very pleased to have been called. The sentiments expressed inside this Chamber about seeking a solution do not appear to match the negotiations outside of it.
Minister reply
Of course, one reason that we have employed tens of thousands more nurses and doctors is to help to relieve the pressure post covid. We all understand that, given what happened with covid and what is now happening with flu, which is the worst it has been for 10 years, we are seeing particularly strong pressures on our hospitals.
Tan Dhesi
Lab
Slough
Question
The Government’s failed industrial relations approach has led to the worst strikes in decades. Sadly, they have often sought to scupper talks by throwing in last-minute spanners.
Minister reply
First of all, no one is talking about sacking nurses. I have just checked the figures: we have more than 44,000 more nurses since 2010, and more than 34,000 more doctors.
David Linden
Lab
Aberdeen South
Question
When the Tory party spoke about taking back control, none of us thought that would mean suppressing votes with voter ID legislation, a policing and crime Act that curbs the right to protest, a House of Lords with unelected clerics and a Government who are withdrawing the basic fundamental human right to strike.
Minister reply
I am pretty sure the hon. Gentleman has been in the Chamber from the beginning, otherwise you would not have called him to speak, Mr Deputy Speaker.
Meg Hillier
Lab/Co-op
Hackney South and Shoreditch
Question
From the way the Secretary of State is speaking, one might think he is the knight on a white charger coming to rescue the system. Let us be clear, however, that it was this Government who froze pay in the public sector and then increased it below inflation.
Minister reply
I simply make the point that it is not the case that we have frozen recruitment, because we have 44,000 more nurses, not fewer—that is an increase rather than a decrease. It is also not the case that we have frozen pay, other than during the aftermath of the financial crash.
Question
It is astonishing that comparisons are being made with Franco’s Spain and the Vichy regime in France. Many elements of UK laws already do not comply with ILO regulations; we are one of the most restrictive anti-worker countries in the world. The Government should stop blowing up talks with trade unions, as they did against NHS workers over the weekend and against RMT by dropping driver-only operation into the talks. Instead of ending strikes, the Government has escalated conflict with working people who are suffering due to poor governance.
Minister reply
At least we know where the hon. Gentleman stands: on the picket lines despite opposition from his Front Bench. Driver-only operation was included in the talks from the beginning and there is no change to it. Modernisation, including driver-only operation, would help end industrial disputes. The Government's position aligns with modern practices seen in European countries.
Carla Lockhart
DUP
Upper Bann
Question
The Secretary of State’s opening statement about key workers is warm but ignores the fact that by refusing to address fair pay demands, staff morale will be depleted and more people will leave the service, exacerbating staffing shortages. Lecturing on safe staffing levels when healthcare workers say they are unsafe is ridiculous; proper wages would ensure staffing.
Minister reply
The Government agree with NHS staff about their incredible work during difficult times like the pandemic. The pay offer comes from independent pay review bodies and respects taxpayers’ interests.
Question
This statement is an attack on fundamental employment rights, caused by 12 years of Conservative Government failure to invest in public services leading to workers taking industrial action. Instead of protecting service levels, the Government should fund and resource vital services properly.
Minister reply
The hon. Lady's questions are repetitive and disproved; they ignore the fact that safety standards must be maintained for constituents' protection during strikes.
Mary Foy
Lab
City of Durham
Question
Minimum service levels undermine legitimate disputes by forcing workers to work against their wishes. Paying proper wages and giving appropriate resources would ensure effective job performance; why does the Government need new laws to drive down key workers' wages?
Minister reply
Workers are paid for minimum service levels, with average earnings of £46,000 at Network Rail and £62,000 for train drivers. Minimum service levels ensure essential services continue.
Paula Barker
Lab
Liverpool Wavertree
Question
Trade union members are hard-working public members; confirm whether the reported £320 million has been paid to train operators during strikes and how much would settle disputes. When will driver-only operated trains stop being forced through, and when will NHS get workforce strategies?
Minister reply
Driver-only operation was introduced under Labour and is safe; receipts are collected by train operating companies for service operations.
Question
My hon. Friend and I supported striking workers last week without permission issues; TransPennine and Avanti West Coast struggle with minimum services. Is Scottish independence needed to ensure key workers are fully protected?
Minister reply
The SNP's comments about Scottish independence shoehorned into a statement on minimum safety levels, but national strikes would benefit from safe levels of service between ambulances and hospitals.
Question
Measures outlined today attack key workers' rights; when negotiation fails, the Government legislate. Do these proposals risk breaching human rights legislation and modern-day slavery law? Should grievances be addressed instead of curbing democratic right to strike?
Minister reply
The ILO permits minimum safety levels; many European neighbours have them in place. The proposal is reasonable and shocking that Labour opposes it.
Andrew Gwynne
Ind
Gorton and Denton
Question
The MP referred to his union memberships and criticised the Government for not negotiating with nurses, failing to avert transport strikes, and introducing plans that distract from their own failures. He also pointed out inconsistencies in the Secretary of State's social media posts.
Minister reply
The Minister responded by stating that the legislation aims to ensure national minimum safety standards across all regions rather than creating a postcode lottery for services.
Question
The MP questioned why 'bullyboy' legislation is necessary if the Government cared as much about public services as workers do, arguing that such strikes and disputes are normal occurrences.
Minister reply
The Minister defended the need for the legislation by stating it aims to protect public safety during strikes, particularly in areas like healthcare where service disruption can be highly detrimental.
Question
The MP highlighted the justified grievances of workers at Warrington’s North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust and questioned if any would face disciplinary actions for withdrawing labour.
Minister reply
The Minister responded that there are no plans to sack striking workers, but emphasised the need for a minimum level of service across all regions during strikes.
Cat Smith
Lab
Lancaster and Wyre
Question
The MP expressed support for key workers who went on strike during the pandemic due to living costs pressures and urged the Secretary of State to engage in resolution discussions.
Minister reply
The Minister defended the Government's engagement with unions, highlighting that they followed independent pay review bodies' recommendations fully.
Question
The MP asked about discussions between the Secretary of State and the Chancellor regarding a fair funding settlement for Scottish public sector workers.
Minister reply
The Minister stated that strikes occur regardless of political control, attributing inflation to external factors like the war in Ukraine, and insisted on maintaining safety levels during strikes.
Kate Osborne
Lab
Jarrow and Gateshead East
Question
The MP criticised the proposed legislation as criminalizing workers' legitimate disputes and likened it to historical labour movements that were suppressed.
Minister reply
The Minister defended the proposal, stating that enforcing minimum safety levels during strikes is proportionate and necessary for public security.
Question
The MP cited a TUC report on long-term wage stagnation and criticised the Government's stance of both reducing real-terms pay and legislating to enforce it.
Minister reply
The Minister reiterated that the independent pay review bodies' recommendations were accepted fully, questioning Labour’s intentions regarding these bodies and public service minimum safety levels.
Shadow Comment
Angela Rayner
Shadow Comment
The shadow spokesperson criticised the Government's approach as a response to an economic crisis caused by high inflation and potential recession. She pointed out that strikes were happening due to the current state of chaos under this government, highlighting the death of a constituent waiting for an ambulance on a non-strike day. The Labour party seeks long-term solutions rather than short-term political measures. The spokesperson questioned whether genuine progress was made in talks with unions and criticised the minister’s proposal as an attack on workers' rights to strike. She argued that sacking nurses will exacerbate staff shortages, leading to more strikes and service disruptions. Furthermore, she challenged the comparison to other European countries, stating that these nations lose far more strike days than Britain. The spokesperson also pointed out discrepancies between ILO guidelines and the proposed legislation's provisions, emphasising the need for independent arbitrators and safety measures.
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