A shake-up of trade union law and the devolution of transport powers to major cities were confirmed in the Queen’s Speech today at the official opening of Parliament.
The new Trade Unions Bill aims to ensure any strike action is the result of “clear, positive and recent decisions” by union members.
It will introduce a 50% voting threshold for union ballot turnouts and retain the requirement for there to be a simple majority of votes in favour.
A time limit will also be imposed on a mandate following a ballot for industrial action.
The Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill, as previously reported on Motortransport.co.uk, will allow the devolution of powers to cities with elected “metro mayors”, which the government said will help with boost economic recovery across the whole of the UK and help build the Northern Powerhouse.
It will provide powers for an elected mayor to chair the authority and hold responsibility for an area’s economic development, including transport, as well as undertake functions of police and crime commissioner for the region.
Logistics operators are set to benefit from measures brought in via the Enterprise Bill, which aims to cut red tape, improve the business rates system, and create a Small Business Conciliation Service to help resolve B2B disputes, especially over late payments, without going to court.
The government has also committed to a ‘tax lock’, with legislation brought in to ensure no rises in income tax rates, VAT or NI contributions for employees and employers for the next five years.
