UK’s Sunak to announce strike legislation as soon as Thursday – The Times

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is poised to announce legislation to curb strikes on Thursday, The Times reported late on Wednesday.

Sunak is poised to announce legislation to enforce “minimum service levels” in six sectors, including the health service, rail, education, fire and border security, the report said, adding that the laws will require a proportion of union members to continue working to retain a “minimum level” of service.

Britain is facing a wave of industrial action this winter, with strikes crippling various sectors including the rail network as surging inflation follows more than 10 years of stagnant wage growth, leaving many workers unable to make ends meet.

The strikes would be deemed illegal if unions refused to provide the minimum level of service, the newspaper quoted a government source involved in the discussions as saying.

Employers will be able to sue unions and sack staff under government plans to curb the right to strike, the report added. The Prime Minister’s office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Announcing his plans to introduce anti-strike laws, Sunak told Daily Mail in an interview last month that the move would protect people’s lives and minimize the disruption on their livelihoods.