Transport unions face measures to reduce the impact of industrial action as the Government outlined its legislative programme in the Queen's Speech today.
At the state opening of Parliament, her majesty the Queen said that 'measures will be developed to provide minimum levels of service during transport strikes'.
The legislation is set to hobble the impact of any strke action by transport unions. Government briefing notes state: 'Minimum Service Agreements will set out the minimum service pattern to be provided during rail strikes, and the minimum number and nature of staff who shall work to provide that service.
'Any strike against a rail employer shall be unlawful unless a Minimum Service Agreement is in place. If the Minimum Service Agreement is not honoured, the strike shall be unlawful and injunctions or damages may be sought against the union in the normal way.'
Minimum service arrangements should ensure that 'the public is not disproportionately affected by strike action and can conduct their personal and/or family lives, and to access healthcare, education or employment'.
This is likely to impact the ability of unions to affect commuting and peak time travel.
The Government said it will 'consult on how best to implement this in a proportionate way, including ensuring that sanctions are not directed at individual workers, and how this would interact with the wider industrial relations framework'.
Investment
The Government confirmed that it publish a National Infrastructure Strategy alongside the first Budget.
It will set out further details of £100bn investment 'to transform the UK’s infrastructure'.
The Queen's Speech also saw the Government commit to prioritising infrastructure investment and a number of major investments in the railway, including:
- Midlands Rail Hub, to improve services around Birmingham and throughout the West and East Midlands;
- Northern Powerhouse Rail;
- Reopening a number of the lines and stations closed under the Beeching cuts in the 1960s; and,
- Significant upgrades to urban commuter and regional services outside London.
The Government will also progress the High Speed Rail (West Midlands – Crewe) Bill to provide the powers to build and operate the next stage of the High Speed Two (HS2) network (Phase 2a).
Hospital car parking will be made free to 'those most in need', while environmental legislation will deliver 'legally binding air quality targets' as the Government prepares to exit the European Union and potentially lose such legislation from Brussels.
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