No 10 retaliates in row with US over anti-strike laws

Downing Street on Wednesday hit back at a member of Joe Biden’s Cabinet after he opposed the imposition of minimum service agreements for public sector strikes.

Marty Walsh, the US labour secretary, suggested such laws may be detrimental to workers.

But Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said US anti-strike laws were much tougher than anything being proposed by the UK Government, pointing out that last month Mr Biden, the US president, signed a law to block a national railway strike.

Mr Sunak has brought forward laws to ensure that public sector workers such as NHS staff and railway workers have to ensure minimum service levels when they strike.

Asked by the BBC whether he agreed with minimum service levels, Mr Walsh said: “No. I don’t know about the legislation… I would not support anything that would take away from workers.”

‘Confident legislation is proportionate’

Mr Sunak’s spokesman said: “The labour secretary was clear he had not seen the detailed legislation, which we are confident is proportionate. The steps we’re taking to introduce minimum service levels on critical sectors including blue-light services… do not inhibit unions’ ability to strike.

“In the US, many states prohibit strikes by emergency services altogether. Fire services are banned from striking in most states. And in December, President Biden signed legislation to block a national rail strike.”

The spokesman insisted the spat did not signal any wider rift, adding: “We have an enduring relationship with the US and that won’t change.”

Last month, Mr Biden signed a measure to avert the first national strike by railway workers in 30 years. He had called on Congress to act, saying a strike would “devastate our economy”.

A strike would have would disrupted commuter rail services for up to seven million travellers per day, while business leaders warned it would disrupt the flow of fuel, medicine and other vital goods with an estimated financial hit of $2bn a day.