The Trade Union Act is a transparent attempt by the Conservative Government to undermine the trade union movement and, by extension, hard-won workers’ rights. I voted against this Act at every stage of its progression through Parliament and believe it should be repealed when Labour is next in government.

Whilst the final version of the Act was not as damaging as previous iterations, it is still unacceptable. The commitment to a pilot of e-balloting for strike action is welcome, but I do not believe that there should be a minimum threshold for action in any democratic decision-making process. The right to strike is very important and should not be undermined by government legislation.

There are other aspects of this Act which I believe undermine strong trade unions. For example, limiting the amount of time trade union representatives can spend building good industrial relations is seriously misguided. It will have a negative impact on important workplace initiatives like good health and safety regulations, and the promotion of training opportunities.

The Trade Union Act is an unnecessary and political attack on the trade union movement. I will vote to repeal it at the earliest opportunity.