{"id":11222,"date":"2017-01-24T16:40:25","date_gmt":"2017-01-24T16:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=11222"},"modified":"2017-01-25T12:45:17","modified_gmt":"2017-01-25T12:45:17","slug":"tories-attack-trade-union-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=11222","title":{"rendered":"\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Tories attack trade union rights\u00e2\u20ac\u2122"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

In a victory for the trade union movement, a motion to even further restrict the right to strike for workers in defined \u00e2\u20ac\u0098critical national services\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 was roundly defeated in the Commons today (January 24).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Ten Minute Rule motion was tabled by Conservative MP for Croydon South Chris Philp and called for critical national services to include railways, operators providing buses, trams and underground railways, the National Health Service and fire and ambulance services.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If staff in such services are taking strike action, any disruption to the public would have to be \u00e2\u20ac\u0098reasonable and proportionate\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and it would be up to the High Court to decide on this. A minimum level of service during strikes in such critical national services would also be legally required.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Philp highlighted the Southern Rail strikes carried out by members in Aslef and the RMT, noting that many constituents had written to him explaining their struggles getting to work and getting their children to school.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He added that countries such as Spain and Canada have measures in place to ensure a minimum level of service for important public services during industrial action and he pointed to an Evening Standard <\/em>survey in which 55 per cent of those asked said they supported such proposals.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rejected<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But MPs rejected Philp\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arguments, voting down his motion 206 to 127.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Labour MP for Cardiff West Kevin Brennan spoke in opposition to the motion, arguing that under this and the previous Tory government, trade union members have suffered attack after attack, most recently in the trade union Act, whose measures, which have not yet gone into effect, have been condemned by critics as draconian.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He condemned the motion as a \u00e2\u20ac\u015bdisproportionate, unnecessary and a fundamental attack on the right to strike.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe all know that if this bill were to be allowed to proceed, it would simply be the thin end of the wedge for even more anti-trade union legislation from this Conservative government,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThat’s because this is what they do when they’re in power \u00e2\u20ac\u201c dogs bark, birds fly and Tories attack workers’ rights. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what they do.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Brennan argued that the legislation is based on a false assumption that workers strike on a whim.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Disproportionate<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBefore we talk about what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s disproportionate, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important to bear in mind what the proportions are,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThere were 106 strikes in the last year we have figures for in 2015 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c an eighth of the number of strikes in 1985. 81,000 people went on strike \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the lowest level since records began in 1893.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He told of Unite mixed fleet crew\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ongoing dispute against British Airways, in which workers are fighting poverty pay, earning \u00c2\u014116,000 a year including allowances, while top boss Willie Walsh raked in \u00c2\u01416.5m last year.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThat,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Brennan said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bis the very definition of disproportionate.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He went on to say that today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s motion was a needless one, considering that strike action is already highly regulated \u00e2\u20ac\u201c in the trade union Act, whose measures will likely go into effect at some point this year, higher ballot thresholds have been implemented for trade union members working in important public services.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Welcomed<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Brennan welcomed today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s vote.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs I said in the House of Commons, dogs bark, birds fly, and Tories attack workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 rights,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he told UNITElive. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI am delighted that we were able to defeat this latest attack on the basic rights of workers from the Tories.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner likewise hailed today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s vote.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bToday\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s motion was voted down by a wide margin \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it shows that MPs have had enough of this government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sustained attack on workers and the trade unions that represent them,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bTrade union members working in public services are always sensitive to how any industrial action may affect the public \u00e2\u20ac\u201c strike action is always a last resort,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn fact, many disputes arise precisely because members are concerned about delivering a safe, reliable service to the public they serve.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe welcome that MPs today saw sense \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we applaud their decision to resist further erosion of the fundamental right to strike. We at Unite will continue to stand up for working people and actively oppose any attempts by this government further restrict this right.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a victory for the trade union movement, a motion to even further restrict the right to strike for workers in defined \u00e2\u20ac\u0098critical national services\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 was roundly defeated in the Commons today (January 24).     The Ten Minute Rule motion was tabled by Conservative MP for Croydon South Chris Philp and called for critical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1844,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[650,590],"wps_subtitle":"MPs vote down Tory move to curb rights","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11222"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11222"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11223,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11222\/revisions\/11223"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}