6. Industrial action
[ch: 6: page 183]This Chapter outlines the UK’s industrial action laws, which are among the most restrictive in the developed world.
The balloting and notice conditions for lawful industrial action in the UK became even more onerous as a result of changes introduced by the Trade Union Act 2016 (TUA 16), described by the TUC as “the most serious attack on the rights of trade unions and their members in a generation”. These changes affected all strike ballots from 1 March 2017.
These laws will become even more draconian if the government goes ahead with a threat, first made in 2019, to introduce minimum service levels in transport strikes (see box on page 192).
LRD Booklet: Taking industrial action — a legal guide (https://www.lrdpublications.org.uk/publications.php?pub=BK&iss=1888)