I go on
leave for a week to enjoy the sunshine in Sussex and the Government introduces
draconian restrictions on the rights of workers to organise and take action as
trade unionists (in the Trade
Union Bill).
This isn’t
quite the existential threat to trade unionism itself which many of us continue
to anticipate. The easy-to-legislate-for
threat to the finances of the major trade unions, successfully piloted
twenty two years ago, has not (yet) been resurrected.
The Tory
Government aren’t (yet) quite returning to the Combination Acts,
but they want only timid and tame trade unionism on their own terms. They don’t
want industrial action, and they want depoliticised trade unions (with the
beneficial side effect of undermining the income of the main opposition Party).
Furthermore they want to uproot workplace trade union activism with an attack
upon trade union “facility time”.
Apolitical,
collaborationist organisations run by paid officials rather than lay activists
are the only sort of trade unions which this Government would want to tolerate
(for a time). This is a more intelligent - and therefore more dangerous - attack than one which sought to wipe us out completely, since it does not immediately threaten the livelihoods of the officials of the movement.
However, toothless trade unions would be worthless for workers and the future of our movement if we acquiesced in these attacks would be one of continuing decline into irrelevance. If this Bill passes another, within a couple of years, will come along to finish the job.
Official
opposition to the new Bill has been
expressed by our
General Secretary and by the
TUC and the Trade
Union Group of MPs. I am pleased that my own UNISON Branch Committee agreed
to help initiate a new rank and file
campaign to mobilise branch level opposition to this legislative attack
across the trade unions.
Without
doubt, the first step in our response to this assault upon workers’ rights must
be to resist – but we must also prepare our organisations to continue to be
battle ready whatever happens in Parliament. We need to build trade unions
which are more democratic, more political and more willing to take action.
1 comment:
Jon,
Brighton Trades Council is holding a meeting on the laws, your contribution would be very welcome if you can make it. Tuesday 21st July 7pm BMECP 10 Fleet St, Brighton, BN1 4ZE
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