The High Court has ruled in favour of the FDA’s joint legal challenge – that government regulations allowing agency workers to stand in for those taking strike action strike are unlawful.
FDA Assistant General Secretary Amy Leversidge said of the verdict:
“This is a victory for basic fairness and for the trade union movement. The government tried to railroad through a plainly unjust and unfair measure in an attempt to undermine the fundamental right to take industrial action. The judgement found that ministers ignored advice that this served no real benefit for the public and was ultimately unworkable. These proposals should never have seen the light of day.
“The FDA is proud to be one of the eleven unions to take a stand and challenge these unlawful proposals. The government’s recent approach to resolving workplace disputes appears to rely on just introducing ever-more draconian measures rather than actually resolving disputes directly. The best way to prevent industrial action is to have good employment relations and engage in meaningful dialogue with trade unions.”
This week, the FDA attended the 2026 TUC Congress in Brighton. FDA delegates spoke to and moved motions on a range of topics, including the review of the civil service, supporting effective management, accountability and safe contracting in the NHS, and the importance of an evidence-led approach to regulation.
Yesterday, FDA staff and reps attended the 2026 Fast Stream annual Base Camp, welcoming this year’s new joiners to the scheme and sharing the benefits of FDA membership with them.
The FDA’s National Officer for Northern Ireland Robert Murtagh has written to Speaker of the Assembly, Edwin Poots, asking him to remind MLAs that when officials appear before the Assembly, impartiality must not be brought into question.
