IEA Editorial and Research Fellow Professor Len Shackleton has written for CapX on the Strikes (minimum service) Bill currently going through the House of Lords. The Bill, which has been widely reviled by trade unionists, will empower the Secretary of State to prevent certain individuals from engaging in strike action.

Len argues that the Bill will not transform Britain into an anti-democratic dystopia and points out that such legislation is commonplace across Europe.

“In any case, there are clear examples of similar legislation on minimum service provision in a number of European countries – Spain, France and Italy are frequently mentioned – so we are nothing like the anti-union pariah that the TUC disingenuously claims.

“In fact, many continental jurisdictions ban strikes outright in key sectors. For example in Germany civil servants (including university staff and many schoolteachers) are prohibited from strike action. So are some categories of Danish civil servants; the same is true in Czechia and Slovakia, where fire and rescue workers, air traffic controllers, health workers and various other miscellaneous categories are also banned from striking.”

Read the full article here.