UK Government Plans Minimum Service Levels in Schools During Strikes Amid Union Opposition

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan seeks to ensure continuity in children's learning during union strikes; backlash ensues from teaching unions labeling the strategy as undermining their democratic rights.

• The UK Government, led by Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, is planning to implement minimum service levels in schools during teaching union strikes to minimize disruption to pupils' education. This move has been met with staunch opposition from unions, who view it as an assault on their democratic rights.
• The decision follows numerous school and public sector strikes over the past year, which the Department for Education estimates to have resulted in the loss of 25 million school days. Strikes have generated significant disruption, with eight days of strikes by teaching unions alone in the past year.
• A similar precedent has already been set with the recent implementation of minimum service levels across key public sectors, such as rail, ambulance and fire services. Employers have the authority to terminate staff who refuse to work during strikes.
• The proposed minimum service levels aren't set to be enforced unilaterally. Instead, Keegan has invited union leaders to negotiate and agree on these new measures voluntarily. If no agreement can be reached, the Government is prepared to use powers provided in the recently introduced Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act.
• The planned imposition of this measure is not isolated to schools but extends to universities, where regulations on minimum service levels during strikes are expected to be declared soon. Labour has projected to repeal this legislation if it wins the forthcoming election.

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