Devolution of employment law is needed to protect Welsh workers’ rights, the MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd says.

Liz Saville Roberts says Westminster’s “bullyboy” anti-strike legislation must be stopped – urging Labour to support devolving employment law to Wales in order to protect workers’ rights from “relentless Westminster attacks”.

The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, which seeks to curb workers’ right to take industrial action, had its second reading in the House of Commons on Monday, 16 January, and the MP says that the “authoritarian attack” on the right to strike is only necessary as Rishi Sunak wishes to distract from “the daily disruption to public services caused by his own party’s butchering of budgets”.

Along with the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru have tabled a reasoned amendment which declines to give a second reading to the Bill, saying that it is in possible breach of ECHR Article 11 on the freedom of assembly and association, and appears to be incompatible with ILO (International Labour Organization) standards.

Ms Saville Roberts said that the devolution of employment law was vital to protect Welsh workers’ rights, and urged the Labour party to support Plaid Cymru and the SNP’s amendment.

The MP said: "In an attempt to distract from the daily disruption to public services caused by his own party’s butchering of budgets, Rishi Sunak has launched this latest authoritarian attack on the fundamental right to strike.

“Nobody wants to see strikes happen, least of all the workers who lose a day’s pay. The strikes from nurses and ambulance workers are a last resort from over-worked staff who are worried that patient safety is suffering due to increased demand and staff shortages.

“If the UK Government had spent as much time worrying about nurses being forced to use foodbanks as they do about nurses standing on picket lines, this bullyboy legislation would not be needed.

“The Labour Party is making the right noises, but it continues to oppose the devolution of employment law. This is the only way to give Wales the power to protect workers’ rights from relentless Westminster attacks. I urge Labour to support Plaid Cymru and the SNP’s amendment today.”