Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the information regarding Harrods in the article “Amazon gets tough with workers over 35p pay rise”, published in The Sunday Times on 14 August; whether Harrods is classified as a “crucial public service”; whether supermarkets are classified as such; and what other services are included in that designation.

The legislation repealing regulation 7 applies to all employers in all sectors. It came into force on 21^st July after debates in both houses of Parliament. It gives employers the choice to work with employment businesses to find suitably qualified staff when they are facing industrial action and offers agency workers the freedom to accept roles replacing staff on strike if they wish. It does not affect the ability of workers to go on strike and existing protections for striking workers are maintained. It does, however, balance the right to strike against the right of employers and third parties not to suffer disproportionate disruption. This is particularly important as we continue to recover from the pandemic and are faced with what are global economic challenges.