Public sector strikes fall to a record low in the wake of new Trade Union laws making it harder for workers to walk out, new data reveals.

In 2018 the number of working days lost in the public sector was 26,000. This marks the lowest since the Office for National Statistics (ONS) began recording such data in 1996.

In contrast there were almost 250,000 days lost due to strikes in the private sector in the same year.

The data comes following new legislation aimed at making it harder for workers to strike. In May 2016 the Trade Union Act became law, ensuring that strikes could only go ahead when there has been a ballot turnout of at least 50%.

However Christopher Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said that the latest data was possibly due to swathes of what was formerly the public sector, becoming privatised.

He said: “It might not be the full answer but the rise in private sector strikes makes it look suspiciously like a reclassification of roles, probably due to the privatization of Royal Mail.

“I think Royal Mail is big enough to have had such an impact,” he added. “The whole privatisation protest lasted from around 2013-2015. But if the new legislation makes it harder to go on strike, shouldn’t we have seen a reduction in strikes in the private sector as well?”