The right to go on strike, to withdraw one's labor over grievances with one's employer is potentially under threat in proposed legislation that gives the British government sweeping powers to clamp down on industrial action.
Following months of public sector walkouts, the British government has introduced legislation that makes it difficult for unions to hold further strikes.
Formerly known as the Minimum Service Level Bill, voted on in Parliament on Monday 22 May, the legislation enables the government to determine what a minimum level of service should be, with potential consequences for strikers. And the unions that represent them.
The freedom to form and join a union and to bargain collectively is one of the four international labor standards; standards which the UK has signed up to.
The sectors impacted by the legislation include health, education, transport and fire services, all of which have staged several rounds of industrial action over pay and working conditions over the past year in the face of the untenable UK cost of living crisis.
Strikes became common during the Industrial Revolution and the UK has recognized the right to strike since at least 1906.
The protesters and union leaders in Britain say they're not going to allow that right to be eroded or taken away.