Advertisement
Activism

Unions call ‘emergency’ protest outside Downing Street over anti-strike law

Campaigners will also protest outside MPs’ offices on Saturday

Trade unions have called an “emergency” protest outside Downing Street on Monday over the government’s new anti-strike legislation.

Campaigners associated with the Enough Is Enough campaign will gather at 6pm, to mark the second reading of the bill, and will also protest outside a handful of MPs’ offices on Saturday.

Protesters will target the offices of four Conservative MPs, including Grant Shapps, the minister in charge of business and industrial strategy.

The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) bill was introduced by the government as strikes across railways, ambulances, and postal workers mark a five-year high for industrial action. Staff who do not maintain a “minimum service” during strike action could lose their jobs.

Your support changes lives. Find out how you can help us help more people by signing up for a subscription

Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT union, called the law a “nasty anti-worker bill” which is “designed to repress and make very difficult our right to strike in this country”.

Advertisement
Advertisement

He added the protest would “show we’re ready to fight back on behalf of working people against this piece of nasty legislation”.

Unveiled in response to a wave of strikes, the new law would “completely undermine the purpose of striking, and will make it much harder for workers to exercise their basic rights”, warned Jun Pang of human rights group Liberty.

The government’s own impact assessment for the bill admits it could even make strikes worse.

Get the latest news and insight into how the Big Issue magazine is made by signing up for the Inside Big Issue newsletter

“A similar risk is an increased frequency of strikes following a Minimum Service Level being agreed,” the document, produced to measure the costs and benefits of the bill, read.

“This would reduce the overall impact of the policy as although service levels would likely be higher than the baseline, it could mean that an increased number of strikes could ultimately result in more adverse impacts in the long term.”

Lynch is one of the leading figures in Enough Is Enough, a movement set up in response to the cost of living crisis by trade unions, food banks, and MPs.

The group said Monday’s Downing Street protest “needs to be massive to send a message to the government”.

As the bill makes its way through Parliament, the Trades Union Congress has also announced a “national right to strike day”, taking place on February 1, calling the bill “unworkable and almost certainly illegal”.

Advertisement

Learn more about our impact

When most people think about the Big Issue, they think of vendors selling the Big Issue magazines on the streets – and we are immensely proud of this. In 2022 alone, we worked with 10% more vendors and these vendors earned £3.76 million in collective income. There is much more to the work we do at the Big Issue Group, our mission is to create innovative solutions through enterprise to unlock opportunity for the 14million people in the UK living in poverty.

Recommended for you

Read All
11 award winners share their campaign tips for achieving change
Campaigning

11 award winners share their campaign tips for achieving change

How to volunteer with the Big Issue
Volunteering

How to volunteer with the Big Issue

Experts explain how to fit volunteering around work, childcare, and the general chaos of modern life
Activism

Experts explain how to fit volunteering around work, childcare, and the general chaos of modern life

‘It’s not an infinite resource’: How volunteers are papering over the cracks of austerity
Volunteering

‘It’s not an infinite resource’: How volunteers are papering over the cracks of austerity

Most Popular

Read All
Here's when people will get the next cost of living payment in 2023
1.

Here's when people will get the next cost of living payment in 2023

Strike dates 2023: From trains to airports to tube lines, here are the dates to know
2.

Strike dates 2023: From trains to airports to tube lines, here are the dates to know

Suranne Jones opens up about her 'relentless and terrifying' experiences of bullying
3.

Suranne Jones opens up about her 'relentless and terrifying' experiences of bullying

Arctic Monkeys team up with Big Issue to produce unique tour programme
4.

Arctic Monkeys team up with Big Issue to produce unique tour programme