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Telegraph

Telegraph

Labour to make it easier for unions to strike

Telegraph
Summary
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73% Informative

Trade Union Act 2016 sets legal thresholds for how much support strike ballots need.

Under the Act, at least half of a trade union’s members must take part in strike votes.

Act also insists that for important public services’ such as NHS and transport, 40 per cent of members must have voted for action.

Removing both thresholds would mean trade unions could launch industrial action with far fewer members.

Under the threshold, recent strike ballots which failed to get over the 50 per cent turnout requirement would have been successful.

A Business Department analysis in 2016 suggested the threshold would reduce the number of days lost to strikes by 35 per cent .

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg , the former Tory business secretary, said: “ The Labour Party always dances to the unions’ tune".