This is probably one of the most pointless and even spiteful pieces of anti-trade union legislation ever.
The exact detail has not been released but according to the official government consultation paper it could :-
1. Stop councils from raising revenue by charging to collect union subs from staff wages.
2. Ban strikes even if a majority of workers vote for it (also undermining the principle of democratic elections in our country)
3. Result in criminal charges for taking part in social media protests on twitter and Facebook.
4. Allowing employers to use US style agency thugs as scab labour to break strikes.
5. Stopping union health and safety reps from being sufficient given time off to prevent accidents, illness and violence at work
Even the professional body for HR in this country, the Chartered Institute for Personal and Development has attacked the bill:-
| "Proposals on strike laws are a response to yesterday’s problems, says CIPD Plans to raise the bar for strike action divert attention from building better, more engaged workforces. The Government’s proposals on strike laws are an outdated response to industrial relations issues currently facing UK employers and could prove counter-productive" If this proposal goes ahead it will indeed prove "counter-productive". If workers' democratic rights to legally strike are not allowed then there will be an explosion of "unofficial" action and protests. If there is a legal strike and scab agencies are allowed to bus in strike breakers then there will be mayhem in the workplace. I hope the Tory MPs who actually have experience of "real" work as opposed to a life of political bag carrying (like too many Labour MPs I may add) will help kick this rotten stupid bill into touch. UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, makes sense when he notes that “Democracy won’t be enhanced by vindictively raising thresholds but by modernising balloting and allowing workers to vote from their phones and tablets.” Email your MP now to speak against the Bill on Monday https://secure.unionstogether.org.uk/page/speakout/protect-our-voice-at-work |
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