A number of important pieces of legislation have, or will be, coming forward in Parliament this week including the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill and also the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill.
There has been much controversy
surrounding these Bills and I would like to address some of the disinformation
being peddled in the media and by other political parties, so that people can
see for themselves exactly what they will mean for the UK rather than listening
to rumours and myths.
There were a significant number
of public sector industrial disputes last year and continuing into this year
which have affected the transport, health, education and border security
sectors.
From June 2022 to October 2022,
a total of 1.16 million days were lost due to strike action in the UK,
according to the Office for National Statistics figures, and that total is
likely to be higher once the figures for November and December 2022 are
published.
The Conservative manifesto for
the December 2019 general election pledged to introduce legislation to “require
that a minimum service operates during transport strikes’ and so the new
Strikes Bill goes one step further.
I want to make it very clear
that the Bill is not about stopping people from striking. Currently in the UK,
police officers, members of the armed forces and some prison officers are
prohibited from striking, but there are no other general restrictions on public
sector workers from striking. The Government will always protect the ability to
strike, however, it must be balanced with the public’s right to life and
livelihoods. We need to protect public safety and access to essential public
services.
The new laws ensure that
certain essential services – such as healthcare, education, fire and border
security - cannot shut down completely when workers strike, in order to
maintain basic, and in many cases lifesaving, services.
The measures will allow the
government, NHS, the public and other services to plan properly for the running
of services in times of strike so the public aren’t inadvertently put at risk,
and the government is consulting on the level of coverage that will be required
from ambulance, fire and rail services.
Many countries across the
world such as France, Germany, Italy and Spain already have minimum service
agreements in place so this new legislation will bring us in line with those.
It is vital that we deal with ongoing disruption to public services and protect
the public when unions insist on continuing industrial action.
I also want to talk about the
Retained EU Law Bill which is due to come forward today. Once again false
information has been doing the rounds about what the changes will mean.
However, I can assure people
that I will never support any measure by law or otherwise to water down
essential workers’ rights such as maternity leave and holiday pay. That is
complete nonsense. In fact, many of the UK’s laws around such matters go
further and are stronger than EU law.
Retained EU Law is a category
of domestic law created at the end of the transition period and consists of
EU-derived legislation that was preserved in our domestic legal framework by
the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
Retained EU Law was never
intended to sit on the statute book indefinitely. The time is now right to end
the special status of retained EU Law in the UK statute book on 31st December 2023.
This is the final part of the Brexit process.
This Bill will abolish this
special status and will enable the Government, via Parliament, to amend more easily,
repeal and replace retained EU Law. It will also include a sunset date by which
all remaining retained EU Law will either be repealed or assimilated into UK
domestic law.
The Bill is part of the
Government’s commitment to put the UK statute book on a more sustainable
footing. By ending the special status of retained EU Law, we will reclaim the
sovereignty of Parliament and restore primacy to Acts of Parliament – these
were the key and expressly stated aims of Brexit.
This Bill will not undermine
any existing Government commitments, including our commitment on upholding
workers’ rights and ensuring that the UK remain one of the best places in the
world to work, as well as our pledges on the environment.
On the contrary, freeing us
from EU law can allow us to go further and make improvements above and beyond
what the EU demands its member states. Since the 2016 referendum, we have
continued to build on existing employment law with measures which protect those
in low-paid work and increase the national minimum wage and remain a world
leader in environmental standards.
As a country we have reduced
greenhouse gas emissions by 25% since 2010, faster than any other G20 country
and we’re also the first in the world to phase out coal by 2020.
Finally, the BBC is planning
changes to BBC Radio Cornwall and its other 38 local radio stations, which
could see fewer local programmes broadcast and Cornwall losing its dedicated
radio station.
I am interested in hearing your
views on this, which I will then pass to the BBC as part of my response to the
consultation. For more information on the proposals and to fill out my survey
please visit: www.stevedouble/org.uk/bbc-radio-cornwall-survey
Please do get in touch if I can
assist you on any matter, my office is available for any constituents needing
help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk
