Strikes bill ‘huge step backwards’ for tackling racism at work, government warned

Exclusive: ‘This legislation could give another opportunity for unscrupulous employers to target Black and ethnic minority workers’

(AFP via Getty Images)

A controversial new law on strikes will be a “huge backwards step” for tackling racism at work in Britain, union and charities have warned.

The Strikes bill, which moved rapidly through the Commons and is now in the House of Lords, aim to ensure there are minimum working standards during strike days across six sectors, including health and transport.

The TUC, the Equality Trust, and Runnymede Trust are calling on Rishi Sunak’s government to drop this “spiteful” bill, warning that Black, Asian and minority ethnic workers could be unfairly targeted for dismissal given that they’re already at the sharp end of the jobs market “rife with discrimination”.