Leeds City Council has passed a resolution opposing the government’s “Minimum Service Levels” Act. Although the resolution stops short of an explicit commitment to never issue work notices, it takes a strong stance in favour of the right to strike.
The text of the resolution is below, and available on the council website here. Leeds joins other Labour councils, including Sheffield and Islington, in taking such a stance. StrikeMap and the Campaign for Trade Union Freedom are currently running an online campaign encouraging people to write to their local representatives to demand councils make “no work notices” pledges.
That Council believes that the right to strike is a fundamental British freedom and believes that the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 is just the latest direct attack on this freedom.
Council regrets the over the past 14 years the Government have continually eroded pay, and to an even greater degree when inflation hit a 41 year high of 11.1%.
Council regrets the Government’s failure to deal with the cost-of-living crisis and failure to outlaw poor employment practices, which Council believes have caused recent strike action. Council further regrets this legislation as an attempt to shift the blame onto ordinary workers who have resorted to striking to achieve fair pay and dignity at work.
Council further believes that the regime created by the Strikes (Minimum Service Level) Act 2023 is both unworkable and unnecessary and is an attack on the freedoms of working people in Leeds.
Council resolves to request a paper to Executive Board to consider these issues further and calls on the Government to repeal anti-trade union legislation.
Free Our Unions 