188体育

You have the right to take industrial action and you can鈥檛 be legally forced to stay at, or go back to, work (unless a ballot wasn鈥檛 organised properly).

If you take industrial action, you鈥檒l probably have broken (be 鈥榠n breach of鈥�) your employment contract and your employer:

• is unlikely to pay for the work you didn鈥檛 do when you took industrial action
• can sue you for breaking your contract (this doesn鈥檛 happen often)

Taking industrial action doesn鈥檛 usually mean that your employer will say you鈥檝e broken your period of continuous employment with them. This begins when you start working for your employer and ends on the day your employer uses to calculate your length of service.

However, if you take industrial action, your employer will reduce your length of service with them by the number of days you were on strike. This is important when working out your pension and things like statutory redundancy pay.

Dismissal for industrial action

You can鈥檛 be dismissed for industrial action if:

• it鈥檚 called as a result of a properly organised ballot
• it鈥檚 about a trade dispute between workers and their employer (eg about your terms and conditions)
• a detailed notice about the industrial action (which is legally required) has been given to the employer at least 7 days before it begins

You can claim unfair dismissal at an employment tribunal if you鈥檙e dismissed for taking industrial action at any time within the 12 weeks after the action began.

After 12 weeks, you can be dismissed if you take industrial action and your employer has tried to settle the dispute. For example, your employer may bring in advisers from Acas to help find a solution.

When you may be dismissed

You could be dismissed for taking part in industrial action if:

• the union hasn鈥檛 held a properly organised ballot
• the union hasn鈥檛 given the employer the correct notice for balloting members or taking action
• the union hasn鈥檛 called its members to take action because they think the dispute is settled or action is called by someone who doesn鈥檛 have the authority to do so
• it鈥檚 in support of workers taking action against another employer (otherwise known as 鈥榮ympathy鈥� or 鈥榮econdary鈥� action)
• it鈥檚 in support of only employing union members (otherwise known as a 鈥榗losed shop鈥�)
• it breaks any other parts of industrial action law

If you take part in industrial action that breaks the regulations and you鈥檙e dismissed, you can鈥檛 usually claim unfair dismissal if all employees taking part are dismissed as well.

There鈥檚 more detail on legal rights and protections in the guidance on industrial action and the law.

Industrial action by non-union members

Non-union members who take part in legal, official industrial action have the same rights as union members not to be dismissed as a result of taking action.