Where does the Strikes Bill put the UK relative to other European countries

In an article published on 7 February 2023, Dr Joelle Grogan and Professor Catherine Barnard look into the "Strikes Bill", currently being debated in the British Parliament, and how it might place the UK in relation to other European countries and the right to strike.

The analysis finds, in sum, that the Bill does not place the UK in line with Europe when it comes to essential services.

Indeed, the sectors considered to be essential vary across countries. Typically, public health, transport, energy and water services are among the most common. In a minority of countries, strikes in essential services can be subject to a requirement of a minimum service level, but exactly which services are ‘essential’ are not identified in law and left to the discretion of government. The UK Bill does not require services to be essential, only to fall within one of the listed sectors, which is a much broader interpretation.

For the full article, see the website "UK in a Changing Europe", here.