Why can troops join a union or strike?
Discontent among the British armed forces has prompted calls for an association to represent the rights of the country’s servicemen and women, according to a report in this newspaper this week. A body along the lines of the Police Federation has been suggested. But should the government go further and allow troops to enlist in a trade union … and the right to strike? It is illegal for a non-civilian member of the armed forces to do either. Britain is not breaching the European convention on human rights which allows for legal exemptions. And the relevant law in the UK is the Queen’s Regulations, by which every serviceman and woman is bound. Security reasons – and Britain’s military readiness, in particular – are appropriate enough grounds for soldiers to abide by those regulations and not lay down their arms. The Ministry of Defence also forbids troops from belonging to an association that has political activities. But if the argument is that unionisation undermines military effectiv
