Angela Rayner’s plans to repeal anti-strike laws will pave the way for more “appalling disruption” like the Birmingham bin crisis, a Tory MP has claimed.
Sir Andrew Mitchell, whose constituency has been hit by the industrial action blighting England’s second city, accused Labour of changing the rules to “advantage their union paymasters”.
Meanwhile, The Telegraph can disclose that two of Birmingham’s Labour MPs have declared almost 30,000 in union donations in the past year alone.
And the Tories alleged the party is “far too deep in the pockets” of the unions to stand up for local people.
The controversy over the Employment Rights Bill follows the resumption of crunch talks between Unite and Birmingham city council, which were quickly overshadowed by a fresh war of words.
The Bill, currently going through the House of Lords, will make it easier for unions to stage walkouts by scrapping certain thresholds needed to trigger strikes. It will repeal the Trade Union Act 2016, which stipulates thaat least half of a union’s members must take part in strike votes for the action to go ahead.
Sir Andrew, the MP for Sutton Coldfield, said the change would make it “easier” for unions to wreak havoc.
He said: “The fact that Labour are changing the law to advantage their union paymasters and friends will make the appalling disruption faced by my constituents as a result of the Birmingham bin strike all the easier to take place.”
Tahir Ali, the Labour MP...
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