Anti-strikes Bill: Thousands attend rally outside Downing Street to protest ‘ridiculous’ proposal

Thousands of protestors gathered outside Downing Street on Monday evening in freezing weather against a controversial new Bill on strikes.

The legislation would see the right to strike restricted by imposing minimum service levels.

Under the draft Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, bosses would be legally able to fire employees who ignore a “work notice” ordering them to work on days of industrial action.

Downing Street said the new legislation was necessary to “protect the public”, but the proposals have sparked threats of legal challenges by unions, while Labour says it would likely repeal it.

The mass protest organised by the Enough is Enough campaign was attended by RMT leader Mick Lynch, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Zarah Sultana, Labour MP for Coventry South and many other union leaders.

Protesters chanted “f*** the Tories” and “the people united will never be divided”. Others banged drums as they gathered in Westminster.

“We want to send a clear message to the government that this new legislation that they’re trying to get through is not going to fly,” Jo Grady, general secretary of University and College Union (UCU) told LondonWorld.

“Whether they try to ram it through the House of Commons or ram it through the House of Lords they will face systematic opposition all the way.”

The protest coincided with the National Education Union (NEU) teachers’ vote to strike, which was announced earlier on Monday.

“Unions are having a moment in the fact that we’re organising opposition to a government that seems intent on making people’s lives intolerable.

“And in some cases when it comes to the NHS, making things dangerous.

“My message to Rishi Sunak would be to stop trying to implement laws to enforce your world view on the UK.

“There is resistance and opposition to what you are doing because it is damaging and reckless and trying to cut democracy off at the knees is not going to address that problem.”

In his speech RMT leader Mick Lynch criticised the current Labour leader Keir Starmer calling him a “vanilla politician in a vanilla suit.”

He said: “There are some people missing tonight. You get this every time you hear me.

“We’ve got Jeremy (Corbyn), he’s with us, we’ve got SNP MPs, we’ve got Caroline Lucas from the Green Party.

“But there’s a big question – where’s the Labour front bench tonight?

“Come and stand with us … stand up for socialism, stand up for workers and let’s change this going forward.”

A government spokesman said it was “not our intention to penalise individuals” and that the legislation was about ensuring that essential services would be protected.

The bill cleared an initial stage in the House of Commons on Monday when it was approved by a vote of 309-249.