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Fire Brigade had the right to strike

It’s HR focus week on Bdaily. Here, Roger Seifert, Professor of Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations at the University of Wolverhampton, looks at the recent fire brigade strikes in England and Wales.

The right to strike in emergency services was raised again this week after a four-hour stoppage by fire fighters in England and Wales over changes to their pensions.

Whenever such a group do strike - and this applies to transport workers especially in London, teachers, health workers and others - there are calls to ban them from striking.

There are two related points worth making. First, the general principle as set out by the International Labour Organisation (ILO, which is an arm of the UN) makes it quite clear that all workers should have the right to associate (join free unions), organise, bargain, and strike.

If any government wishes to ban a group from striking, such as the police in the UK, then there should be an overwhelming case made, such as national security and/or reckless harm to citizens.

The second, related issue, is that without the right to strike it is difficult to see how such workers could have any say in their pay, pension, and conditions of service.

In the state sector the government would be tempted (as now) to unilaterally cut pay and pensions. The risk is that poor pay and conditions leads to poorer quality recruits and staff, and to corruption.

In a democracy the setting of pay levels for state workers or those involved in vital services (such as train drivers and petrol lorry drivers) cannot be left to the goodwill of employers and/or the good sense of political leaders.

Only through ‘good faith’ bargaining which from time to time may result in strike action can pay levels be properly fixed, workers’ voices be heard, and some guarantee of professional pay for professional work.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by University of Wolverhampton .