Monday, January 26, 2009

GCHQ trade Union Ban

Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of the then Tory Government decision to ban GCHQ (a government intelligence centre) employees from being members of trade unions.

14 civil servants were eventually sacked for refusing to give up their trade union membership. In 1997 the new Labour government reversed this decision. Check out further
details here.

Despite many current “problems” with the Labour Party this event reminds us all of the absolute fundamental importance of re-electing the Party at the next election.

5 comments:

ian said...

Its GCHQ, John.

John Gray said...

Whoops! - thanks Ian.

Charlie Marks said...

We vote for candidates, not parties... A list system for the elected Lords? Then we'd be voting for parties.

Worth remembering that Labour has failed to repeal all of the Tories' anti-union laws and that Labour MPs voted to ban prison officers from taking industrial action. A lesser evil is still an evil.

Anonymous said...

Are these the people who monitor such groups as the Lambeth Militants ?

John Gray said...

Hi Charlie
In reality by and large we vote for Parties not on the individual merits of candidates.
I don’t think that any political party will ever to all the things that I personally happen to think are right and proper. I don’t think you will either. So we have to make a judgement call and support the Party that matches most closely what we believe in then work within the Party to try and change it.

Hi Anon
Nah, no-one in GCHQ would waste their time looking at that lot.