KEIR'S KEY TO STRIKE CHAOS Sir Keir Starmer’s plans to boost unions could open the door to militant chaos in Labour’s first 100 days

 Labor has vowed to give sweeping new powers to trade unions if it wins the general election - sparking fears Britain could be crippled by even more strikes in a year.

Sir Keir Starmer plans to tear up laws curbing the power of union chiefs within his first 100 days as prime minister.

It came as junior doctors announced a fresh five-day strike later this month.

Critics have warned that the Labor leader's hard-left blueprint would make things even worse - leaving Britain at the mercy of militant union stalwarts and plunging the country once again into the dark days of mass strikes.

Collective bargaining will return.

Currently, unions negotiate with individual employers, if they recognize them.

But in sector collective bargaining, wages and conditions are negotiated for all employees throughout the industry.

This could pave the way for strikes to be called across entire sectors and huge wage claims to be made.

Union leaders would be allowed to order their members to down tools, even if the majority of their members do not want to go on strike.

And new laws bringing minimum service in schools, hospitals and railways on strike days will be repealed.

Lord Michael Howard, former Tory party leader, said: “The British public need to understand the danger of Labour's plans.

“If you think the strikes we have seen in recent months are bad, then brace yourself for a Labor government.

“The unions will have so much power that they can bring the entire country to a standstill. I remember the chaos of the 1970s when the streets were strewn with garbage.

"Sir Keir will push Britain back into those dark days."

Sir Keir's left-wing "New Deal for Working People" is led by flamboyant deputy leader Angela Rayner.

He has shown no signs of weakening radical plans by making a "raw commitment" to strengthen unions within his first 100 days in government.

This could put him on a collision course with Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who is busy courting City bods.

A central pillar of Ms Rayner's plan is to introduce sector collective bargaining in adult social care – before rolling it out more widely.

This could give unions the power to negotiate pay terms and conditions for the UK's 1.5 million care workers.

But if, as expected, they negotiate a bigger pay rise, it would mean the government would have to spend billions of pounds paying for pay rises or risk pushing more councils into bankruptcy.

Union heads would also be handed more powers to enter workplaces to recruit and organize members.

A new organization will be created to implement the increased powers of the unions.

It will have "sweeping powers" to inspect workplaces and prosecute.

And Labor wants flexible working to be the default for most workers from day one.

Matt Vickers, vice-chairman of the Conservative Party, said: “The Labor Party will always be in the pocket of the unions. Whatever Sir Keir claims, his party has not changed since the 1970s, when the union stalwarts ruled.

"The Conservatives are cracking down on striking unions while Labor will take us back to square one."

And former Tory Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said some unions were making things difficult for the current Tory government in the hope that Labor would win the election and accede to their demands.

He added: "There is only one end to all this, and that is to demand huge wages and a massive capitulation by Labour."

It comes as the new head of the Confederation of British Industry's lobbying group called on Labor to soften its laws on worker rights.

Unions are among labor's largest donors.

According to the Electoral Commission watchdog, the party accepted donations of almost £22 million in the first three quarters of 2023, including around £4.5 million from trade unions.

Ms Rayner was previously a UNISON representative while working as a carer for Stockport Council.

She became Unison's most senior elected official in the North West of England.

Senior Labor MPs also receive funding from unions for campaigns and local party activities.

'Cash for the campaign'

The register of members' interests reveals that Lisa Nandy's local party receives £2,000 a year from the Communication Workers Union.

He also paid £1,520 for her hotel accommodation at the Labor Party conference.

Wes Streeting, Pat McFadden and Peter Kyle also received cash from the Community Business Association.

New Labor MPs who won seats in recent by-elections have also received union funding to help their campaigns.

Keir Mather, the new MP for Selby and Anstey, registered £8,000 from UNISON, £5,000 from USDO and £2,000 from the GMB union.

Similarly, new MP Alistair Strathearn received £5,000 from Usdaw and £2,000 from Unison for his election campaign in Mid Beds.

Sir Keir warned big business leaders last week that he would press ahead with his plans even if it does not make them “happy”.

A Labor spokesman said: “While we offer working people a new deal, the PM can only offer cheap attacks and expensive tactics. It is a joke for him to make such a joke when his party has seen the biggest wave of strikes in 30 years.

“Labor's plan will help workers and businesses grow and make our economy fit for the modern world. For 14 years, working people have paid the price of Tory failure, but Labour's new deal will pay for work and help tackle the living wage crisis.

A Labor source said: "Maybe the Tories should look working people in the eye and explain why they are once again denying them better pay and rights at work."

Ms. Renner was trumpeting her plan for workers last week. He told Sky News: “Businesses will perform better under Labour’s plans.

“And for working people, the New Deal will increase productivity, reduce staff vacancies and sick leave time, and give them better stability. And this will ensure that it makes them money in the future.