London mayoral election 2016: Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith says he’s secured tighter rules for future Tube strikes
Conservative candidate for mayor of London Zac Goldsmith today revealed that he has secured tighter rules to limit future Tube strikes.
Goldsmith said that under new strike laws, all Transport for London (TfL) services will be considered “essential” and therefore require the support of 40 per cent of all eligible voters in a strike ballot.
Goldsmith wrote to business secretary Sajid Javid last year asking for all TfL services to be subject to the new, higher threshold.
“It must be right that TfL services are classed as essential because that’s what they are to the millions of people who live and work in Greater London,” Goldsmith said today. “Unions shouldn’t be able to call a strike on spurious grounds, with little real support.”
Commenting on the announcement, employment minister Nick Boles said: “Strikes can cause huge disruption to people’s lives so it’s important Londoners can have confidence strikes are backed by a reasonable proportion of union members."