Half of Scots think Scottish Government doing badly on strikes, poll finds

Half of Scots think the Holyrood government has done a bad job of handling strikes, a new poll has revealed.

Research by Ipsos found that while just over a fifth (22%) believed the Scottish Government had done a good job of handling such industrial disputes, 50% thought it had done badly.

That compares to the seven out of 10 people across the UK who think the Westminster government has done a bad job of dealing with strikes – with less than one in 10 believing the UK Government has done a good job of this.

Scotland is the only part of the UK which has so far avoided strike action by NHS staff.

However, teachers across the country are to take part in nationwide strike action for the next two days, which will result in many schools across Scotland being closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

About half (49%) of Scots back that action, compared to the 33% who are opposed to it.

Meanwhile, two-thirds (66%) of Scots said they would support a strike by nurses, with a fifth of those polled (21%) opposed to such action.

Similarly, 65% said they would support strike action by ambulance drivers and paramedics, with 22% against this, while 57% would support junior doctors walking out, with a quarter (25%) opposed to this.

The findings were released after Ipsos questioned 1,087 adults in Scotland between January 30 and February 1 this year.

Emily Gray, managing director of Ipsos in Scotland, said: “With Scottish teachers about to embark on a further two days of strikes, our poll shows that more people in Scotland support than oppose this action.

“Health workers are not currently taking strike action in Scotland, but this data suggests they would have strong public support should this change.

“The Scottish public is more divided on strike action by other groups – including university and college lecturers. However, they are more likely than people across Britain as a whole to think that workers should have more power in general.”

More than half (53%) of Scots questioned said they believed workers have too little power – higher than the 38% recorded for this across the UK.

Meanwhile, only 7% of Scots think workers have too much power, while 32% believe they have about the right amount.

Almost a quarter (24%) think trade unions have too much power in Scotland – but about the same proportion (25%) believe trade unions have too little power, while 36% think they have the right amount.

Nearly a third (32%) think employers have too much power in Scotland, compared to the 13% who say bosses have too little power, while two-fifths (40%) say they have the right amount.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Ministers continue to work with trade unions to ensure that fair and progressive pay offers are made to public sector workers across Scotland, despite the constraints of the Scottish Government’s fixed budget.

“The Scottish Government believes a progressive approach to industrial relations and to trade unionism is at the heart of a fairer, more successful society.

“We remain fully committed to strengthening the voice of Scotland’s workers and protecting their rights, including the right to take industrial action.

“The Scottish Government strongly opposes the UK Government’s Minimum Services Levels Bill, which will limit workers’ right to strike, as it would with any Bill that undermines legitimate trade union activity and does not respect Fair Work principles.”