The Trade Union Freedom Bill is a proposal by the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...

for

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolled bill, enrolling, enactment of a bill, enacting, or promulgation, promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous Government, governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law i ...

which would give greater freedom to unions and their members to collectively bargain and take action to support their interests. It was proposed in 2006, the centenary of the

Trade Disputes Act 1906 The Trade Disputes Act 1906 (6 Edw. 7 c. 47) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed under the Liberal government of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman. The Act declared that unions could not be sued for damages incurred during a ...

, the founding statute by which unions taking strike action are not liable to employers for the lost profits of business, so long as the action is taken "in contemplation or furtherance of a trade dispute."

Overview

The core idea behind the proposed Bill is to maximise the freedom of workers for participating in industrial action as a last resort, and not be liable to any detrimental response by an employer for doing so or having done so. A summary of the proposals in the Bill are laid out at the TUC's website. An overview is stated to be, *Improved protection from dismissal and more effective remedies for workers taking part in official industrial action; *Simplification of the complex regulations on notices and ballots which restrict the ability of unions to organise industrial action where a clear majority of members have voted in support; and *Modernisation of what constitutes a trade dispute, enabling limited forms of supportive action, thereby ensuring that UK industrial action laws reflect changes in UK labour market, including increased contracting out and enabling unions to respond where employers take steps to outsource work during the course of a dispute with a view to breaking a strike. The proposed Bill has received widespread support from trade unions and some academics.e.g. K.D. Ewing (2006) The Right to Strike: From the Trade Disputes Act 1906 to a Trade Union Freedom Bill 2006

Notes

References

KD Ewing Keith David Ewing (born 29 March 1955) is professor of public law at King's College London and recognised as a leading scholar in public law, constitutional law, law of democracy, labour law and human rights. Ewing's work has been considered ...

'The Right to Strike: From the Trade Disputes Act 1906 to a Trade Union Freedom Bill 2006' (2006)

External links

TUC
website {{English law types United Kingdom labour law Proposed laws of the United Kingdom 2006 in British law Labour relations in the United Kingdom 2006 in labor relations

Overview

See also

Notes

References

External links