UK rules allowing agency workers to cover strikes are unlawful, court says

Britain’s rules allowing companies to hire agency staff to fill in for striking workers are unlawful, London’s High Court ruled on Thursday, upholding a legal challenge brought by 13 British trade unions.
The regulations, introduced by the government last year during an ongoing wave of disputes over pay and conditions, made it easier for businesses to use temporary staff during industrial action.
But the 13 unions, which represent around three million workers, argued that Britain is breaching union rights with the regulations, which they say could worsen industrial disputes and endanger public safety.
Judge Thomas Linden upheld the unions’ legal challenge in a written ruling on Thursday, saying the regulations were quashed unless there was a successful appeal by the government.