Statutory Instrument | |
Citation | SI 2022/852 |
---|---|
Introduced by | Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy |
Territorial extent | England, Wales, and Scotland [1] |
Dates | |
Made | 20 July 2022 [2] |
Laid before Parliament | 27 June 2022 |
Commencement | 21 July 2022 [2] |
Revoked | 10 August 2023 |
Other legislation | |
Amends | Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 |
Status: Revoked | |
Text of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses (Amendment) Regulations 2022 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. |
The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses (Amendment) Regulations 2022 is a statutory instrument of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The regulations removed Regulation 7 of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, which prevented employment agencies from supplying agency workers to employers to replace workers taking part in official industrial action. The regulations were struck down in a High Court case in July 2023, [3] and were quashed from 10 August 2023. [4] [5]
The prohibition of the use of agency workers to fill the posts of striking workers was first created by the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 1976, which were created by the then-Labour government with the powers of the Employment Agencies Act 1973. The 1976 regulations were replaced with new regulations in 2003. [6]
In 2022, the United Kingdom saw the largest instance of rail strikes in the country since 1989, with more than 40,000 RMT members across 14 rail companies going on strike due to disputes over wages, working conditions and job security. [7] [8] The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) and ASLEF also announced strikes, leading to widespread travel disruption. [9]
Unions in other sectors (including the National Education Union, UNISON, the Communication Workers Union, and the Criminal Bar Association) also went on strike, announced ballots for industrial action, or threatened strike action if pay negotiations fell through. [10] [11] Mick Lynch, the RMT's general secretary, called for a general strike. [12]
Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, set out the government's plans to limit the impact of the ongoing industrial action in July 2022, including ensuring a 'minimum service level' was maintained throughout strikes. [13] The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses (Amendment) Regulations 2022 were some of the first of such measures.
The regulations amend the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 to remove Regulation 7. [14] Regulation 7 prohibited employment agencies from offering agency workers to replace striking workers or to replace workers who are moved to cover the duties of striking workers. [15] It only covered official industrial action, [15] meaning that agency workers could have been hired for wildcat strikes.
The regulations were made under the Employment Agencies Act 1973 which meant that the minister responsible is required to consult 'such bodies as appear representative of the interests concerned'. [2] The government was criticised for using a consultation from a similar proposal in 2015 (which was later abandoned) to justify the regulations. [16] [17] [18]
The regulations were created and laid before both the House of Commons and the House of Lords on 27 June 2022, and government motions to approve them were tabled the next day. [19]
On 11 July, MPs voted 289 to 202 to approve the instrument, [20] splitting largely along party lines with the Conservatives voting in favour and Labour, the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, Alba and the Green Party voting against. The Liberal Democrats abstained. Only one Conservative MP, Alec Shelbrooke, rebelled to vote against. [21]
In the Lords, the instrument was introduced by Lord Callanan, a Parliamentary Under-Secretary in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Lord Collins of Highbury moved an amendment to the motion which noted the lack of sufficient required consultation, the opposition from unions, and the potential for the regulations to harm industrial relations and break international law, and condemned the regulations as "simply a political exercise". [22] The amendment was defeated in a 96–80 vote, again mainly along party lines; Lord Balfe was the only Conservative to vote for the amendment. [23]
Kwasi Kwarteng said that the regulations would "provide greater flexibility to businesses" and were "good news for our society and our economy". [24] Grant Shapps said that they were "an important milestone" in the government's plan to "minimise the power of union bosses" and that they would mean that future strikes would "cause less disruption". [24] Jane Hunt, the business minister, said that the change was needed to repeal the "outdated blanket ban" on using agency workers. [25]
Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, pledged that a Labour government would reverse the changes. [26] Angela Rayner, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, called the regulations "anti-business and anti-worker". [25] The Scottish Green Party called the change to the law a "disgraceful attack" on trade unions to "distract from [the government's] own catastrophic failings". [27]
The National Law Review reported that there was "almost universal opposition" to the regulations but said that most stakeholders thought that they would have "very little practical effect". [28] The British Medical Association strongly opposed the regulations, saying that the government's proposals were "deeply disappointing". [18] Twelve trade unions [note 1] announced in July 2022 they were preparing to file a High Court challenge against the regulations, alleging that they violate Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement which committed the UK to implementing basic labour rights. [29] They were later joined by UNISON. [30]
In June 2022, The Financial Times reported that the bosses of thirteen recruiting and staffing companies, including Adecco, Hays, Randstad, and ManpowerGroup, wrote to Kwarteng asking him to rethink the proposals. [31]
Harrods became the first major employer to threaten to use agency workers under the regulations, after a ballot for strike action was launched by Unite members on 11 August. [32] Unite accused Harrods of trying to union bust and using bullying behaviour to prevent strikes. [33] The company said that although it was not the "preferred course of action", using agency workers would mean that they could "continue to provide the experience that our loyal customers deserve". [32] The Recruitment and Employment Confederation, the trade body for employment agencies, criticised Harrods for putting agency workers "in the middle of the dispute" and said the priority "should always be to negotiate". [34]
In the run-up to the 2023 teacher strikes by the National Education Union, the Department for Education issued guidance to schools to "take all reasonable steps to keep the school open", including by employing agency workers under the regulations to replace striking staff. [35]
During strikes by dustmen in South Gloucestershire, Suez were reported to be employing agency staff. [36] Following the court ruling, Unite said that the situation would worsen once agency workers were not allowed if agreements on pay were not reached. [37]
Thirteen trade unions sued the government in the High Court over the regulations: UNISON, Unite, USDAW, the BFAWU, the UCU, the RMT, ASLEF, the FDA, the NEU, the PCS, the POA, BALPA, and the GMB. [29] [30] NASUWT brought its own judicial review case alongside the TUC-coordinated suit. [5] The case, Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen and Others v. Secretary of State for Business and Trade, was heard before Mr Justice Linden on 3 and 4 May 2023 and a judgement was handed down on 13 July. [30]
The trade unions challenged the regulations on two grounds: that Kwarteng had failed to adequately consult them as was his duty under section 12(2) of the Employment Agencies Act 1973, and that the regulations breached Kwarteng's duty to prevent unlawful interference in the rights of trade unions under Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights. [30] : §3 Representatives for the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Kemi Badenoch, argued that the 2015 consultation had been sufficient to discharge the section 12(2) duty and that the regulations did not constitute an interference with the rights of trade unions. [30] : §5
Linden concluded that the regulations did breach the Secretary of State's duty to consult, saying that the approach was "so unfair as to be unlawful and, indeed, irrational". [30] : §191 He found that Kwarteng had not properly taken the responses to the 2015 consultation into account and that even if he had, it would still be unfair to not "seek updated views". [30] : §191 Linden quashed the regulations based on solely the first ground and consequently did not rule on the second. [30] : §206-207 The revocation of the regulations came into effect on 10 August 2023, meaning that Regulation 7 came back into force. [38]
A spokesperson from the Department of Business and Trade said it was "disappointed" with the decision, that the government was "considering its next steps carefully", and that the right to strike needed to be balanced with the rights of businesses and the general public. [3] [39]
Paul Nowak, the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), stated that the regulations should be "scrapped once and for all", saying that the government should not appeal the ruling. [3] The TUC said the verdict was a "major blow" and a "badge of shame" for the government. [4] [39] Unite said the result was "a total vindication for unions and workers". [3] Mick Whelan, the ASLEF general secretary, said that the union was "proud to have stood with other unions" to challenge the regulations. [39] Patrick Roach, the general secretary of NASUWT, said the regulations had sought to "undermine and weaken" workers' rights and that the government should be "focused on improving the pay and working conditions of all workers" instead. [5] General secretary of the PCS Mark Serwotka hailed the result as "a further litigation victory for PCS" and that the government had "refused to listen". [40] Amy Leversidge, assistant general secretary of the FDA, said the outcome was "a victory for basic fairness and for the trade union movement". [40]
Neil Carberry, the chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), said that the decision was "no surprise" and that the "rushed, politically driven process" had not allowed for proper consultation. [40] He called on the government to act quickly to clarify the law to reduce uncertainty for agency workers and businesses. [40]
The Department for Business and Trade launched a new consultation on repealing Regulation 7 on 16 November 2023, maintaining that to do so was "the most appropriate course of action". [41] In a House of Lords debate in December 2023, Lord Offord of Garvel, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exports, said that the government "continue to believe there is a strong case for removing what is a blanket restriction". [42] The consultation closed on 16 January 2024, [41] but the government did not publicly state when it would reach a decision. [43]
Neil Carberry, the chief executive of the REC, said that the new consultation was a "disappointment" since neither unions or agencies "think this change promotes effective strike resolution or protects agency workers". [44] The TUC opposed any repeal of Regulation 7, saying it represented an "unjustified attempt to undermine the right to strike". [45] Trade unions opposing the proposals included ASLEF, [46] NASUWT, [47] the Royal College of Nursing, [48] the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, [49] and the Association of School and College Leaders. [50]
On 22 May 2024, Rishi Sunak called a general election for 4 July, surprising his own party and resulting in much planned legislation being scrapped. [51] Keir Starmer's Labour Party won the election, and had pledged to repeal the regulations [52] and make sure industrial relations policy was focused on "good faith negotiation and bargaining". [53]
Labour laws, labour code or employment laws are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, employer, and union.
Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike in British English, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became common during the Industrial Revolution, when mass labor became important in factories and mines. As striking became a more common practice, governments were often pushed to act. When government intervention occurred, it was rarely neutral or amicable. Early strikes were often deemed unlawful conspiracies or anti-competitive cartel action and many were subject to massive legal repression by state police, federal military power, and federal courts. Many Western nations legalized striking under certain conditions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
United Kingdom labour law regulates the relations between workers, employers and trade unions. People at work in the UK have a minimum set of employment rights, from Acts of Parliament, Regulations, common law and equity. This includes the right to a minimum wage of £11.44 for over-23-year-olds from April 2023 under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998. The Working Time Regulations 1998 give the right to 28 days paid holidays, breaks from work, and attempt to limit long working hours. The Employment Rights Act 1996 gives the right to leave for child care, and the right to request flexible working patterns. The Pensions Act 2008 gives the right to be automatically enrolled in a basic occupational pension, whose funds must be protected according to the Pensions Act 1995. Workers must be able to vote for trustees of their occupational pensions under the Pensions Act 2004. In some enterprises, such as universities or NHS foundation trusts, staff can vote for the directors of the organisation. In enterprises with over 50 staff, workers must be negotiated with, with a view to agreement on any contract or workplace organisation changes, major economic developments or difficulties. The UK Corporate Governance Code recommends worker involvement in voting for a listed company's board of directors but does not yet follow international standards in protecting the right to vote in law. Collective bargaining, between democratically organised trade unions and the enterprise's management, has been seen as a "single channel" for individual workers to counteract the employer's abuse of power when it dismisses staff or fix the terms of work. Collective agreements are ultimately backed up by a trade union's right to strike: a fundamental requirement of democratic society in international law. Under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 strike action is protected when it is "in contemplation or furtherance of a trade dispute".
The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) is a British trade union representing drivers of trains including services such as the London Underground (Tube). It is part of the International Transport Workers' Federation and the European Transport Workers' Federation. At the end of 2019 ASLEF had 24,479 members. Mick Whelan became its General Secretary in 2011.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers is a British trade union covering the transport sector. Its current President is Alex Gordon and its current General Secretary is Mick Lynch.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) is the eighth largest trade union in the United Kingdom. Most of its members work in UK government departments and other public bodies.
Australian labour law sets the rights of working people, the role of trade unions, and democracy at work, and the duties of employers, across the Commonwealth and in states. Under the Fair Work Act 2009, the Fair Work Commission creates a national minimum wage and oversees National Employment Standards for fair hours, holidays, parental leave and job security. The FWC also creates modern awards that apply to most sectors of work, numbering 150 in 2024, with minimum pay scales, and better rights for overtime, holidays, paid leave, and superannuation for a pension in retirement. Beyond this floor of rights, trade unions and employers often create enterprise bargaining agreements for better wages and conditions in their workplaces. In 2024, collective agreements covered 15% of employees, while 22% of employees were classified as "casual", meaning that they lose many protections other workers have. Australia's laws on the right to take collective action are among the most restrictive in the developed world, and Australia does not have a general law protecting workers' rights to vote and elect worker directors on corporation boards as do most other wealthy OECD countries.
The National Minimum Wage Act 1998 creates a minimum wage across the United Kingdom. From 1 April 2024, the minimum wage is £11.44 for people aged 21 and over, £8.60 for 18- to 20-year-olds, and £6.40 for 16- to 17-year-olds and apprentices.
Picketing is a form of protest in which people congregate outside a place of work or location where an event is taking place. Often, this is done in an attempt to dissuade others from going in, but it can also be done to draw public attention to a cause. Picketers normally endeavor to be non-violent. It can have a number of aims but is generally to put pressure on the party targeted to meet particular demands or cease operations. This pressure is achieved by harming the business through loss of customers and negative publicity, or by discouraging or preventing workers or customers from entering the site and thereby preventing the business from operating normally.
Union busting is a range of activities undertaken to disrupt or weaken the power of trade unions or their attempts to grow their membership in a workplace.
The Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 is a UK Act of Parliament which regulates United Kingdom labour law. The act applies in full in England and Wales and in Scotland, and partially in Northern Ireland.
Trade unions in South Africa has a history dating back to the 1880s. From the beginning unions could be viewed as a reflection of the racial disunity of the country, with the earliest unions being predominantly for white workers. Through the turbulent years of 1948–1991 trade unions played an important part in developing political and economic resistance, and eventually were one of the driving forces in realising the transition to an inclusive democratic government.
The Labour Contract Law of the People's Republic of China (《中华人民共和国劳动合同法》) is the primary source of labour law in China and went into effect on January 1, 2008, following a series of staff-sacking scandals in many companies. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the People's Republic of China is the responsible government department for administrating this law.
The Employment Act 2008 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which reformed a wide range of different provisions of UK labour law. It is an amending statute, and therefore simply altered pre-existing law to remedy perceived problems in the law's operation to do with dispute resolution, strengthen enforcement of the minimum wage and employment agency standards and to conform with updated case law on trade unions, in particular, ASLEF v United Kingdom.
The 1919 United Kingdom railway strike was an industrial dispute that lasted from midnight 26–27 September to 5 October 1919. The strike was called to prevent the government from reducing rates of pay that had been negotiated by the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) and the NUR during the First World War and to standardize pay rates for different grades of employment. After nine days of strike action, the government agreed to maintain wages until September 1920 and to complete wage negotiations before the end of the year.
The 2022–2024 United Kingdom railway strikes were an industrial dispute between rail workers and companies, with the latter supported by the UK government. The rail workers are represented by several unions including the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF). The railway strikes commenced on 21 June 2022 after workers walked out over wages, planned changes to working practices – involving the removal of guards from trains, the reduction in the number of open ticket offices, and an increase in the age at which people could claim the young persons and senior citizen card – and the threat of redundancies. The industrial action was the largest in the sector since 1989, and involved 40,000 workers nationwide.
The Trade Union (Wales) Act 2017 is an Act of the National Assembly for Wales governing trade union activity in the public sector in Wales. Chiefly it prevents the use of agency workers during strike action in services that belong to the public sector, as well as overturning a 40% support threshold for strike ballots, restrictions affecting time off for union activities and the taking of union subscriptions directly from pay packets. At the time it was approved in July 2017, Mark Drakeford, Cabinet Secretary for Finance praised the Act as "a very significant day" for public services and devolution.
Since May–June 2022, a series of labour strikes and industrial disputes have occurred in various industries of the United Kingdom's economy as workers walked out over pay and conditions. The strikes took place with rising inflation, and demands for pay increases that would keep pace with this inflation.
The 2022–present National Health Service (NHS) strikes are several ongoing industrial disputes in the publicly funded health services of the United Kingdom.
The Strikes Act 2023 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom affecting UK labour law designed to force trade union workers in England, Scotland and Wales to provide a minimum service during a strike in health, education services, fire and rescue, border security, transport and nuclear decommissioning. The law has been criticised as being not in the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto, being a violation of human rights, and being a violation of international law.
Conservatives have consistently attacked rights at work, including through the Trade Union Act 2016, the Minimum Service Levels (Strikes) Bill and the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses (Amendment) Regulations 2022 – all of which Labour will repeal to give trade unions the freedom to organise, represent and negotiate on behalf of their workers.