This Section amends the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 so that protection under section 238A against dismissal applies irrespective of the length of the strike action. This removes the current protected period, which includes the basic period of 12 weeks provided for under section 238A(7A) to (7D).
	Subsections (2)-(4) makes consequential amendments to section 229 (industrial action ballots: voting paper), 238A (protection for employees taking part in official industrial action) and section 238 (conciliation and mediation: supplementary provisions) of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.
	Subsection (5) makes consequential amendments to section 26 (dismissal where employees locked out); section 27 (date of dismissal); section 28 (dismissal after end of protected period) and Schedule 1 (minor and consequential amendments) to the Employment Relations Act 2004.
Part 4: Trade Unions and Industrial Action, etc Protection for taking industrial action Section 77: Protection against dismissal for taking industrial action