Member

Finally, we oppose Amendment 250 from the noble Lord, Lord Sharpe of Epsom, which would unnecessarily ask trade unions to conduct an impact assessment and a family test, for these assessments to be made public, and for trade union members to be made aware of the result of these assessments before trade unions can take industrial action. At the end of the previous day in Committee, we discussed the impact of the previous Government’s trade union legislation and the increased days lost to strike action between 2022 and 2024. We contended that that demonstrated that increased administrative requirements and bureaucratic hurdles, of the kind the amendment would create, make it only more difficult for trade unions to engage in good faith negotiations with employers and thus make industrial strife more likely. I hope this goes some way to addressing the question posed by the noble Baroness, Lady Kramer, about our understanding of the impact of these amendments on industrial relations.