Tory MP defends legislation that could see nurses sacked while Labour MP accuses Government of going from "clapping nurses to sacking them!"

WHILE Warrington South MP Andy Carter has defended new legislation that could see nurses sacked for taking strike action, his Westminster Labour colleague Charlotte Nichols said the Government had gone from “clapping nurses to sacking them.”

Mr Carter says the new legislation would “keep the public safe” while maintaining “core services” that could be the “difference between life and death.”

But he came under attack on social media for voting for the legislation, while his Warrington North Labour colleague hit out at the Government saying it was “an appalling way to deal with rising industrial unrest as the result of 13 years of Tory government failure.”

MPs voted in favour of controversial proposals that could see public sector workers including nurses sacked for going on strike. The government’s Minimum Service Levels Bill passed in parliament on Monday evening by 309 votes to 249 at the second reading.

Commenting on his decision to vote for the bill Mr Carter said: “The first job of any Government is to keep the public safe and while we will always protect the right to strike, we are also duty-bound to protect the lives and livelihoods of the British people. Minimum service obligations are by no means unique to the United Kingdom. France, Spain and Italy all have similar laws already in place.
“The new legislation maintains core service provision in the NHS, ambulance, fire and rescue services, which can mean the difference between life and death. It’s also vital to ensure that the burden of strike action doesn’t fall on our children’s education and that we don’t see transport routes completely shut down when industrial action is in effect, that’s not fair on hard working families and small businesses trying to earn a living.
“I’m pleased the Government has said they will continue to engage in an open and fair dialogue with the unions to end the strikes while ensuring the British people can continue to use the services they rely on for their everyday lives. This legislation is about making sure people are not held to ransom by disproportionate strike action, called by union bosses. Labour have accepted over £15 million from trade unions under Keir Starmer so will never condemn crippling strike action.”

Now the bill has passed its first hurdle in the Commons. It will now get sent to the committee stage, where any amendments to the bill will be considered.
The bill aims to get unions and employers to guarantee a base level of service in the health, rail, education, fire and border security sectors when industrial action takes place.
Strikes would be deemed “illegal” if trade unions fail to do so, while employers would also able to sue unions and sack workers who do not comply with demands to work after strike action had been called.

Business secretary Grant Shapps said there had been a “flare-up in strikes which are putting people’s lives and livelihoods at risk, and this government isn’t going to stand by and watch that happen.
“Where unions insist on disproportionate and sometimes plain unsafe levels of industrial action without informing, for example, the NHS and others, then we must take the necessary steps to protect the public.
“Failing to support this bill today means that members who oppose this legislation are essentially prepared to put the safety and welfare of their own constituents at risk.”

Meanwhile, Ms Nichols said: “This week the Tories have pushed through legislation which would mean all those taking industrial risk getting sacked, an appalling way to deal with rising industrial unrest as the result of 13 years of Tory government failure and a cost-of-living crisis they fuelled with their disastrous mini budget!”
She added: “The Tories want to restrict the right to strike and are threatening nurses and public sector workers with the sack. They’ve gone from clapping nurses to sacking them.”