Trade unions have a constructive role to play in representing their members’ interests but we must balance their rights with those of working people and businesses – who have a right to expect that the services they rely on are not going to be disrupted at short notice by strikes with the support of only a small proportion of union members.
That’s
why this Bill will introduce a 50 per cent threshold for ballot turn-out, and
an additional threshold of 40 per cent for support to take part in industrial
action in important public sectors such as fire, health, education and
transport. These changes will ensure strikes are the result of a clear and
positive democratic mandate from union members.
This is
a One Nation approach – balancing the right to strike with the right of
millions of people to go about their daily lives without last minute disruption
– and will deliver a key commitment we made in our Manifesto.
