As academics in the field of industrial relations, we express our concern at the draconian provisions of the trade union bill which amount to the most sustained attack on trade union and workers’ rights since the Combination laws of the early 19th century. In addition to minimum thresholds that seriously curtail the possibility of legitimate strike action, the bill also attacks the ability of unions to represent their members (via facility time) and raise subscriptions (through employer check-off) from members, among a battery of other restrictive measures.

The rationale for the bill is perverse. Trade unions in Britain are not too strong, but too weak. They provide an important voice for the expression and protection of workers’ terms and conditions of employment, and are a countervailing force against the excesses of employer power. They can also contribute to innovation, skills-upgrading and workplace performance. Given the fact the UK labour market is already one of the most flexible and least regulated in the global economy, evidence in support of the benefits of the bill is seriously wanting.

By further undermining the collective bargaining power of unions it will feed into the labour market by increasing endemic low pay and insecure terms and conditions of employment among non-unionised workers.

Instead, the government should be looking more seriously at how to engage and involve the British workforce and its representatives in rebuilding the UK economy and raising productivity through fairer and more supportive rights for workers.

Professor Mark Stuart President, British Universities Industrial Relations Association, University of Leeds

Professor Ralph Darlington Salford Business School, University of Salford

Professor Jane Holgate, Centre for Employment Relations, Innovation and Change, Leeds University Business School

Professor Philip Taylor Vice dean, Strathclyde Business School

Professor Keith Ewing Professor of public law, Kings College London

Professor Edmund Heery Professor of employment relations, Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University

Professor Stephanie Tailby Centre for Employment Studies Research, University of the West of England

Professor Miguel Martinez Lucio Manchester University Business School

Professor Steve Vincent Head of leadership, work and organisations, Newcastle University Business School

Dr Stephen Mustchin University of Manchester

Dr Andrew Smith Bradford University School of Management

Professor Hazel Conley Centre for Employment Studies Research (CESR), Faculty of Business and Law, University of the West of England

Dr Daniel King Nottingham Trent University

Professor Sonia McKay Visiting professor, Faculty of Business and Law, University of the West of England

Professor Stephen Bach Department of Management, King’s College London

Professor Tony Dundon School of Business and Economics, National University of Ireland Galway

Dr Sophie Gamwell Middlesex University

Dave Smith TUC tutor, College of North East London

Professor Gregor Gall Professor of industrial relations, School of Management, University of Bradford

Professor Geraldine Healy Queen Mary University of London

Dr Peter Scott Senior lecturer in employment relations, University of Portsmouth

Dr Ioulia Bessa Leeds University Business School

Dr Eugene Hickland National University of Ireland Galway

Dr Douglas Martin University of Central Lancashire

Dr Judie Gannon Oxford Brookes University

Dr Jo McBride Newcastle University Business School

Professor Stephen Linstead Director, Centre for the Study of Working Lives, York Management School, University of York

Dr Ian Roper Associate professor, Middlesex University

Dr Jo Grady University of Leicester

Dr Marco Hauptmeier Reader in comparative employment relations, Cardiff University

David Wray Senior visiting research fellow, University of Hertfordshire Business School

Dr Anna Paraskevopoulou Working Lives Research Institute, London Metropolitan University

Dr Ian Greenwood Leeds University Business School

Professor Melanie Simms School of Management, University of Leicester

Dr Tessa Wright School of Business and Management, Queen Mary University of London

Dr Steve Williams Reader in employment relations, University of Portsmouth

Dr Anthony McDonnell Reader in management, Queen’s University Belfast

Dr Zinovijus Ciupiijus Leeds University Business School

Dr Priscilla Ross Co-operative College

Dr Vera Trappmann Leeds University Business School

Caroline Holmes Programme coordinator BA international labour and trade unions studies, Ruskin College, Oxford

Dr Stewart Johnstone Newcastle University

Professor Greg Bamber Visiting professor, Newcastle University Business School

Dr Graham Symon Principal lecturer in human resources and organisational behaviour, University of Greenwich

Dr Zedias Mutema Staffordshire University

John Kimberley Associate professor, Birmingham City University Business School

Professor Andreas Bieler Professor of political economy, School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham

Dr Elizabeth Lawrence Principal lecturer in sociology, Sheffield Hallam University

Professor Jim Arrowsmith Associate fellow, Industrial Relations Research Unit, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick

Dr Paul Smith Honorary research fellow, Keele University

Sue Ledwith Emerita scholar international labour and trade union studies, Ruskin College

Professor Linda Clarke Centre for the Study of the Production of the Built Environment (ProBE), University of Westminster

Professor Ian Greer University of Greenwich Business School

Dr Kate Hardy Leeds University Business School

Dr Fernando Duran-Palma Westminster Business School, University of Westminster

Professor Damian Grimshaw Professor of employment studies, Manchester Business School, University of Manchester; and director, European Work and Employment Research Centre

Dr Anne McBride Senior lecturer in employment studies, Manchester Business School, University of Manchester

Dr Deborah Dean Industrial Relations Research Unit, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick

Professor Chris Forde Centre for Employment Relations, Innovation and Change, Leeds University Business School

Chris McLachlan Postgraduate researcher, Leeds University Business School

Andy Charlwood Professor of human resource management, School of Business and Economics, Loughborough University

Dr Susan Sayce Senior lecturer, University of East Anglia

Dr Alf Crossman Surrey Business School, University of Surrey

Jane Lethbridge Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU), University of Greenwich

Cecilie Bingham Principal lecturer in employee relations, University of Westminster

Duncan Adam Industrial Relations Research Unit Warwick Business School

Professor Phil Almond Professor of comparative employment relations, De Montford University

Dr Andreas Kornelakis Lecturer in human resource management, School of Business, Management & Economics University of Sussex

Katy Huxley Research Officer, Cardiff University

Professor Anne-marie Greene De Montfort University

Dr Whyeda Gill-Mclure University of Wolverhampton Business School

Dr Scott Hurrell Lecturer in work and employment studies, University of Stirling

Dr Alan Tuckman Centre for Industrial Relations, University of Keele

Alex J Wood Research associate, Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge

Professor Gill Kirton School of Business and Management, Queen Mary University of London

Professor Tony Elger Emeritus professor, Sociology of Work and Employment, University of Warwick

Dr Jacqueline Sinclair School of Business, University College Dublin

Dr Aristea Koukiadaki University of Manchester

Professor Richard Hyman Editor, European Journal of Industrial Relations

Dr Mike Hemmings Doncaster College and University Centre

Professor Michael Gold School of Management, Royal Holloway University of London

Dr Stefania Marino University of Manchester

Dr Nick Parsons Cardiff University

Dr Mike Rigby London South Bank University

Dr Andrew Perchard Senior research fellow, Centre for Business in Society, Coventry University

Professor Francis Green Professor of work and education economics, University College London

Paul Brook Editor, Work, Employment and Society journal, University of Leicester

Emeritus Professor Doug Miller University of Northumbria

Martin Upchurch Professor of international employment relations, Middlesex University Business School

Professor Philip B Whyman Director, Lancashire Institute for Economic and Business Research, Lancashire Business School

Dr Steve Davies School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University

Professor Kim Hoque Warwick Business School

Professor Peter Turnbull Professor of HRM & labour relations, Cardiff Business School, University of Cardiff

Dr Mick McKeown Reader in democratic mental health, University of Central Lancashire

Zander Wedderburn Professor emeritus, Heriot-Watt University

Chrissie Oldfield Senior lecturer in employment relations, London South Bank University

Professor Geoffrey Wood Dean of Essex Business School, University of Essex

Professor John Kelly Birkbeck, University of London

Dr Peter Prowse Senior lecturer in HRM and Employment Relations, Bradford University School of Management

Dr Susan Milner University of Bath

Dr Ed Blissett Senior lecturer in employment relations, University of Hertfordshire

Professor Michael Doherty Department of Law, Maynooth University, Ireland

Dr Jonathan Lord Director of Employability International Strategy, People Management, and Salford Law Unit

Roger Seifert Professor of Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations, Management Research Centre, Wolverhampton Business School

Sian Moore Professor of Work and Employment Relations; Co-Director, Centre for Employment Studies Research (CESR), Bristol Business School, University of the West of England

Dennis Nickson Professor of service work and employment; Academic fellow, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (Academic FCIPD); Editor-in-chief, Employee Relations, Department of Human Resource Management, University of Strathclyde

Dr Maria Koumenta Business School, Queen Mary University of London

Christine Edwards Professor emeritus, Department of Management, Kingston University

Dr Steve French Keele Management School, Keele University

Connie Nolan Senior lecturer, Canterbury Christ Church University