Statement on UK workers’ rights from international politicians

As elected politicians from around the world, we, the undersigned, reject the UK government’s attempt to limit workers’ rights and its attempt to justify it with comparisons to international norms. The UK already has some of the most draconian restrictions on trade unions anywhere in the democratic world and workers in the UK are faced with disproportionate regulatory hurdles before participation in a strike can be considered legal.

Despite this, the UK government is set on further rolling back worker protections and freedoms.

The government’s proposed legislation, the ‘Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill’, is attempting to bring in new top-down powers which would allow them to impose an arbitrary level of service on a broad range of sectors. These new powers will allow the government to force union members to go into work on strike days under threat of dismissal.

The right to strike is guaranteed in international law by a succession of important treaties. These include the International Labour Organisation’s convention on the right to organise and bargain collectively of 1948, which the British government was the first to ratify; followed by the Council of Europe’s social charter of 1961, of which Britain is still a member and which the British government was the first to ratify; followed, in turn, by the UN’s international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights of 1966.

The ability for people to collectively withdraw their labour is a fundamental right in a democratic society. The right to strike is not just a bargaining tool to protect workers, it is also a safeguard on democracy itself.

We support the Trades Union Congress in calling on the UK government to abandon this bill.

Signatories

David Smith, Australian Labor Party, Australia.

Graham Perrett, Australian Labor Party, Australia.

Glenn Sterle, Australian Labor Party, Australia.

Tony Sheldon, Australian Labor Party, Australia.

Andreas Schieder, SPÖ, Austria.

Evelyn Regner, SPÖ, Austria.

Cindy Franssen, CD&V, Belgium.

Sara Matthieu, Groen, Belgium.

Malik Ben Achour, Parti socialiste, Belgium.

Marc Botenga, PTB-PVDA, Belgium.

Kim Berg, SDP, Finland.

Eero Heinäluoma, SDP, Finland.

Mounir Satouri, Europe Écologie, France.

Emmanuel Maurel, Gauche Républicaine et Socialiste, France.

Leïla Chaibi, La France Insoumise, France.

Manon Aubry, La France Insoumise, France.

Marina Mesure, La France Insoumise, France.

Pierre Larrouturou, Nouvelle Donne, France.

Aurore Lalucq, Place publique, France.

Dennis Radtke, Christlich Demokratische, Germany.

Beate Müller-Gemmeke, Die Grünen, Germany.

Reinhard Bütikofer, Die Grünen, Germany.

Terry Reintke, Die Grünen, Germany.

Pascal Meiser, Die Linke, Germany.

Susanne Ferschl, Die Linke, Germany.

Helmut Scholz, Die Linke, Germany.

Bernd Rützel, SDP,  Germany.

Dagmar Schmidt, SDP, Germany.

Jens Peick, SDP, Germany.

Martin Rosemann, SDP, Germany.

Takis Mehmet Ali, SDP, Germany.

Dietmar Köster, SDP, Germany.

Tiemo Wölken, SDP, Germany.

Gabriele Bischoff, SPD, Germany.

Katarina Barley, SPD, Germany.

Klara Dobrev, Demokratikus Koalíció , Hungary.

Alan Kelly, Labour Party of Ireland, Ireland.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Labour Party of Ireland, Ireland.

Brendan Howlin, Labour Party of Ireland, Ireland.

Duncan Smith, Labour Party of Ireland, Ireland.

Ged Nash, Labour Party of Ireland, Ireland.

Ivana Bacik, Labour Party of Ireland, Ireland.

Seán Sherlock, Labour Party of Ireland, Ireland.

Annie Hoey, Labour Party of Ireland, Ireland.

Marie Sherlock, Labour Party of Ireland, Ireland.

Mark Wall, Labour Party of Ireland, Ireland.

Rebecca Moynihan, Labour Party of Ireland, Ireland.

Brid Smith, People Before Profit/Solidarity, Ireland.

Gino Kenny, People Before Profit/Solidarity, Ireland.

Paul Murphy, People Before Profit/Solidarity, Ireland.

Louise O’Reilly, Sinn Féin, Ireland. Speaking on behalf of the entire Sinn Féin parliamentary party.

Catherine Murphy, Social Democrats, Ireland.

Cian O’Callaghan, Social Democrats, Ireland.

Gary Gannon, Social Democrats, Ireland.

Holly Cairns, Social Democrats, Ireland.

Roisin Shortall, Social Democrats, Ireland.

Giuseppe Conte, M5S, Italy. Secretary of M5S and former Prime Minister of Italy.

Chiara Braga, Partito Democratico, Italy. Head of PD delegation to the Chamber of Deputies.

Andrea Orlando, Partito Democratico, Italy. Minister of Labour 2021 – 2022.

Beatrice Covassi, Partito Democratico, Italy.

Brando Benifei, Partito Democratico, Italy.

Elisabetta Gualmini, Partito Democratico, Italy.

Francesco Boccia, Partito Democratico, Italy. Head of PD delegation to the Senate.

Nicola Fratoianni, Sinistra Italiana, Italy. Secretary of Sinistra Italiana.

Giuseppe De Cristofaro, Sinistra Italiana. Italy. Head of SI-Verdi delegation to the Senate.

Luana Zanella, Verdi, Italy. Head of SI-Verdi delegation to the Chamber of Deputies.

Marc Angel, LSAP/PSOL, Luxembourg.

Alex Agius Saliba, Partit Laburista, Malta.

Cyrus Engerer, Partit Laburista, Malta.

Agnes Jongerius, Partij van de Arbeid, Netherlands.

Thijs Reuten, Partij van de Arbeid, Netherlands.

Vera Tax, Partij van de Arbeid, Netherlands.

Adrian Zandberg, Razem Party, Poland. Co-Chairman of the Left Coalition and Chairman of the Razem Party.

Daria Gosek-Popiołek, Razem Party, Poland.

Maciej Konieczny, Razem Party, Poland.

Magdalena Biejat, Razem Party, Poland.

Marcelina Zawisza, Razem Party, Poland.

Paulina Matysiak, Razem Party, Poland.

José Gusmao, Bloco de Esquerda, Portugal.

Marisa Matias, Bloco de Esquerda, Portugal.

Joao Albuquerque, Partido Socialista, Portugal.

Katarína Roth Nevedalova, SMER-Sociálna Demokracia, Slovakia.

Milan Brglez, Socialni Demokrati, Slovenia.

Manu Pineda, Izquierda Unida, Spain.

Sira Rego, Izquierda Unida, Spain.

Íñigo Errejón Galván, Más País, Spain.

Idoia Villanueva Ruíz, Podemos, Spain.

Maria Eugenia Rodriguez Palop, Podemos, Spain.

Estrella Durá, PSOE, Spain.

Alejandro José Zubeldía Santoyo, PSOE, Spain.

Alfonso Muñoz Cuenca, PSOE, Spain.

Antonio Ferrer Sais, PSOE, Spain. Chairman of the Senate Labour Commission.

Artemi Vicent Rallo Lombarte, PSOE, Spain.

Donelia Roldán Martínez, PSOE, Spain.

Estefanía Martín Palop, PSOE, Spain.

Jesús González Márquez, PSOE, Spain.

Josefa González Bayo, PSOE, Spain.

Juan Antonio Gilabert Sánchez, PSOE, Spain.

Julia Liberal Liberal, PSOE, Spain.

María de los Angeles Luna Morales, PSOE, Spain.

María Ascensión Godoy Tena, PSOE, Spain.

María del Mar Arnaíz García, PSOE, Spain.

Micaela Navarro Garzón, PSOE, Spain.

Olivia María Delgado Oval, PSOE, Spain.

Rafael Ramirez Gutiérrez, PSOE, Spain.

Rosa María Aldea Gómez, PSOE, Spain.

Ruben Marco Villacampa Arilla, PSOE, Spain.

Aina Vidal, Unidas Podemos-En Comú Podem-Galicia en Común, Spain.

Mercedes Pérez , Unidas Podemos-En Comú Podem-Galicia en Común, Spain.

Pedro Honrubia, Unidas Podemos-En Comú Podem-Galicia en Común, Spain.

Rafael Mayoral, Unidas Podemos-En Comú Podem-Galicia en Común, Spain.

Roberto Uriarte, Unidas Podemos-En Comú Podem-Galicia en Común, Spain.

Enrique Santiago, Unidas Podemos-En Comú Podem-Galicia en Común, Spain. Deputy spokesman for the parliamentary group of Unidas Podemos-En Comú Podem-Galicia en Común.

Gerardo Pisarello, Unidas Podemos-En Comú Podem-Galicia en Común, Spain. First secretary of the Congress of Deputies.

Jaume Asens, Unidas Podemos-En Comú Podem-Galicia en Común, Spain. President of the parliamentary group of Unidas Podemos-En Comú Podem-Galicia en Común.

Carina Ohlsson, SAP, Sweden.

Erik Bergkvist, SAP, Sweden.

Evin Incir, SAP, Sweden.

Heléne Fritzon, SAP, Sweden.

Ilan De Basso, SAP, Sweden.

Malin Björk, Vänsterpartiet, Sweden.

 

Via the TUC