Thread by @faisalislam

NEW …

At Davos I asked head of ILO, UN workers rights agency routinely cited by Government in support of its anti-strike legislation, if it supported the moves…

A: “not aware of any bilateral discussions”.. “v worried workers having to accept situations” under job loss threat

ILO DG Gilbert Hungbou told me at #WEF23 it did not want to interfere in national discussions, but said unions could file a complaint against the Government on adherence to its international workers rights convention, and it was already in conversations about that

… And then fairly extraordinarily… President Biden’s Labour Secretary (former union leader Marty Walsh) sat next to ILO DG suggested I ask him same q…
Q: does America support minimum service agreements?
A: “No…. I will not support anything that would take away from workers”.

Secretary Walsh clarified he hadn’t seen the legislation in question, that it was about the principle, but seemed to suggest the ILO board might look at it… but I have never before had a Cabinet minister of the US President invite a question in this way in Davos or anywhere…

Now while ILO convention is not legally enforceable, any contravention could be problematic given the constant citing of its support… but also ILO standards are hard-wired into post Brexit trade deal with EU.

Anyway - full story is here: bbc.com/news/64313013

The US answer is intriguing - the Government points to many states prohibiting public sector workers from striking, and indeed President Biden last month imposing a settlement, negotiated by Walsh on freight rail unions, effectively on a minority of holdout unions who rejected it