Is there a right to strike? Tom Walker reports
The ability of workers to strike has been brought into sharp focus by recent events. Over 2009 and 2010 there has been a series of cases in which the UK courts assessed whether irregularities in the balloting process made a strike illegal. Now that job losses and pension reform are certainties across the public sector, there is a fear that public services may be paralysed by industrial action. As the debate becomes intense and highly political, perhaps it is time for a fundamental but fair rethink of the right to strike.
The flaws in the existing system are well illustrated by the approach employers have often taken to industrial action. In order for a strike to be legal under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (TULCRA), it need only have the support of the majority of balloted union members who actually vote. Take a hypothetical example: there are 1,000 employees in a workplace but only 500 are union members; all 500 are balloted for
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