The right to strike: a fundamental human right

The right to strike is ‘a fundamental one enshrined in international human rights and labour law, and its protection is necessary in ensuring just, stable and democratic societies.’

This is what Maina Kiai, a UN Special Rapporteur, has said, based on a long history of several international conventions and the constitutions of 90 countries. For example:

• The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (article 8) which includes both protections for trade unions and a clear declaration of a right to strike.
• The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (article 22) which outlines the right to form and join a trade union, as does the European Convention on Human Rights (article 11) and the American Convention on Human Rights (article 16)  - to name but a few.

This fundamental human right is currently under attack.

You may be aware of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill currently passing through parliament and being helpfully thwarted by the Lords. The TUC continue to campaign to fight the bill - with full AEP support. It is not only legislation that threatens our right to withdraw our labour. There is also a significant narrative within mainstream media denigrating strikers – highlighting (and inflating) the disruption that ordinary people experience as a result. As the AEP prepares to ballot eligible members for industrial action, it is important to challenge these narratives. 

After months of attempting genuine negotiations with the Soulbury employers - within an incredibly difficult context - the AEP could see no other way forward. Local authority EP services are facing an unprecedented recruitment and retention crisis. EPs working in these services are seeing their workloads burgeoning out of control. With workload strains, a narrowed focus of work and concerns around the impact on children and young people, EPs are experiencing significant stress and job dissatisfaction. To protect their wellbeing, work-life balance and income, many are choosing to reduce their hours in or to leave local authority employment. Some are choosing to leave the profession altogether.

The AEP could not sit back and watch the potential demise of local authority EP services without doing something. We will be asking eligible members to vote yes to industrial action, not just as a campaign for fair pay, but to save our services. Decisions to ballot are never taken lightly. Nor are they done selfishly. While there may be short-term disruption to ordinary people, most likely to the children, young people and families that we support, what long-term damage will be caused if we do nothing?

As workers, withdrawing labour is a tool that we can wield to bring significant change – to the workplace and wider society. Strikes have led to equal pay for women, an eight hour working day, collective bargaining processes over pay and conditions, better pay for workers and safer working environments.  I have often spoken of my genuine belief that EPs change the world – in small but significant ways.

Consider a world without EPs. Fight for fair pay to protect our services.