Britain details minimum levels of services required during strikes

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain on Monday set out the minimum levels of service that key public sectors such as railways and ambulances must maintain during any strikes by workers.

The government passsed a law in July requiring certain sectors to maintain minimum service levels after a more than a year of disruptive strikes across the railway network, hospitals and schools, caused by demands for higher pay in the face of soaring inflation.

"We are doing everything in our power to stop unions de-railing Christmas for millions of people," British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement on Monday.

"This legislation will ensure more people will be able to travel to see their friends and family and get the emergency care they need."

The new rules will require train companies to operate 40% of their normal timetable during a strike, while ambulance services in England must continue to deal with life-threatening and essential cases throughout any strike, Sunak's office said.

The new rules will be laid before parliament on Tuesday.

(Reporting by William James, Writing by Sachin Ravikumar)