The Government will introduce new legislation to Parliament on Tuesday for “minimum safety levels” during industrial action.
The Bill would ensure vital public services maintain a “basic function” when workers go on strike, the Business Department previously said.
Business Secretary Grant Shapps has said the legislation will demonstrate “life and limb must come first” when strike action takes place.
The proposals have sparked threats of legal challenges, while Labour has said it would likely repeal the legislation.
But the Conservative government might want to consider getting their own House in order – or at least one of them – before they start clamping down on workers’ rights elsewhere.
New research by Byline Times has revealed that a third of Conservative peers in the House of Lords have not spoken in the chamber in months – despite their members likely voting on new legislation that will clamp down on unions.
Of the 269 Conservative members of the House of Lords entitled to speak in the chamber, 87 (32 per cent) have not spoken or submitted a written question in more than three months, while more than a fifth of Conservative lords have not spoken in the chamber in more that 200 days.
In fact, 15 per cent haven’t spoken in more than a year and one in 12 have failed to contribute in more than a 1,000 days.
Baffling!
Related: Strikes set to go ahead after ‘insulting’ talks with Health Secretary
