'Astonishing threat' | Gov plan to replace striking staff with agency workers will 'erode rights'

Legal experts have offered their insight on proposed law changes which would allow agencies to supply temporary workers to cover workers taking industrial action.

A growing number of workers across the UK staging walk-outs in recent weeks, as the cost-of-living crisis has seen more staff demand greater financial support from their employers.

In June, thousands of railway workers launched the biggest rail strikes the country has seen in decades, bringing many parts of the country to a standstill. The RMT union, which represents rail workers, said the strike was being held in response to below-inflation pay rise offers and the threat of compulsory redundancies – which the union warns would create safety risks on Britain’s railways.

Elsewhere, pay and working conditions have seen barristers across England & Wales stage pickets outside courthouses across the country. Barristers voted for action with more than 80% of its 2,055 members backing walkouts, the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) said. The lawyers say real earnings have collapsed, dropping 28% since 2006, with junior barristers earning a median income of only £12,200 in their first three years, forcing many to give up their career.