{"id":5594,"date":"2015-09-10T16:39:37","date_gmt":"2015-09-10T15:39:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=5594"},"modified":"2015-09-11T16:21:11","modified_gmt":"2015-09-11T15:21:11","slug":"no-ones-buying-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=5594","title":{"rendered":"No one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s buying it"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Days before the Trade Union Bill comes up for its second reading in the Commons on Monday (September 14), the government proposals have come under fire not only from trade unions, but from all sides, including the public, independent bodies , leading politicians and academics.<\/p>\n

 
\nFormer business secretary under the coalition government, Vince Cable, denounced the bill today (September 10), calling it \u00e2\u20ac\u015bvindictive, counterproductive and ideologically driven\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt is very provocative, highly ideological and has no evidence base at all,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bYou have got to look at things on their merits. Are they justified, are they compliant with broader legal principals?\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nCable\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s scathing criticism joins the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) \u00e2\u20ac\u201c an association of human resource management professionals \u00e2\u20ac\u201c in its own attack on the bill<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bTaxpayers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 interests are best served by an efficient, engaged and productive public sector workforce,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said CIPD chief executive Peter Cheese.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe need to see more consultation and ongoing dialogue, and engagement with, the workforce, rather than the introduction of mechanisms that reflect the industrial relations challenges of the 1980s. To jump straight to legislating strike activity without considering this seems to be a significant step back.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nThe CIPD highlighted that the number of days lost to strike action had fallen drastically over the past twenty years by 90 per cent \u00e2\u20ac\u201c from seven million days a year in the 1980s to an average of 670,000 a year between 1990 and 2014 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c precluding the need for such baggy legislation in the first place.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe organisation also noted that \u00e2\u20ac\u015bCIPD research with employers and consultations with its own members show that employer relationships with trade unions are generally good.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Counterproductive\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/strong><\/em>
\nWhile strike ballot thresholds have received the most media attention, buried beneath the headline proposals are tighter controls in the public sector on the funding of trade union \u00e2\u20ac\u0098facility time\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, in which union officials such as health reps are paid to carry out their trade union duties.<\/p>\n

 
\nBut prominent academics from leading business schools have condemned this proposal<\/a>, presenting research that links better performance with the presence of trade union reps in the workplace.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bRestricting facility time for union representatives in the public sector would be counterproductive and may damage levels of trust between employers and employees, reduce co-operation when introducing change to improve public services, increase labour turnover, increase the number of industrial tribunal cases, and result in lower levels of labour productivity, service quality and financial performance,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Kim Hoque of Warwick Business School, one of three academics who spearheaded the research.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe research found that in NHS in particular, the labour turnover rate was 3 times greater and the industrial tribunal rate 14 times higher in workplaces without union representatives \u00e2\u20ac\u201c demonstrating just how closely union reps work with management to encourage workplace productivity.<\/p>\n

 
\nBased on the government-sponsored Workplace Employment Relations Survey data, the research found that 66 per cent of union representatives in the public sector state that they work closely with management when changes are being introduced \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a figure that rises to 82 per cent among full-time worker representatives.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe steps laid out by the government do not appear to take into account evidence, using data the government itself has sponsored, pointing to the positive effects that workplace trade union representatives have in the public sector,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 noted Nick Bacon of Cass Business School.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBoth full and part-time workplace union representatives help improve performance in the public sector and managers widely recognise this to be the case,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added.<\/p>\n

 
\nLittle evidence<\/strong><\/em>
\nWhile senior Tory politicians trumpet the hard-line proposals forming the Trade Union Bill, the Tory government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s own Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC), an independent body that was specifically charged in July to verify costs and savings to businesses from changes in law, derided the Bill as \u00e2\u20ac\u015bnot fit for purpose\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/a><\/p>\n

 
\nThe independent watchdog, which was set up by the government to cut \u00c2\u014110bn of red tape, hit out against all three major parts of the Trade Union Bill — restrictions on picket lines, strike ballot thresholds and the hiring agency staff during strike action.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe RPC noted of the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s impact assessments that \u00e2\u20ac\u0098there is little evidence presented that there will be any significant benefits [from the proposals in the Bill]’.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe RPC itself is made up of representatives from the business community, economists, civil society representatives and legal professionals. The one trade union representative part of the RPC was barred from assessing the Bill in order to prevent a conflict of interest.<\/p>\n

 
\nUnite director of legal services Howard Beckett agreed with the RPC\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s criticism of the Trade Union Bill\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s impact assessments.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs the RPC has pointed out, there is no evidence that this legislation is needed,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt is driven by ideology and elements of it by sheer spite.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis government seems determined to treat workers as an industrial commodity, removed of the most basic of employment rights \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the right to deny labour. This legislation isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a throwback to the Tory government of 1979 it is a throwback to Victorian times.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nWaste of time<\/strong><\/em>
\nDespite a constant media barrage of anti-union attacks \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u0098holding the country to ransom\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 being a favourite media clich\u0102\u00a9 of strike action \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the public aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t buying it either.<\/p>\n

 
\nA YouGov poll carried out for the TUC released yesterday<\/a> (September 9) found that more than three-quarters of the public \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and 69 per cent of Tory voters — think that making it compulsory for unions to give two weeks\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 notice if they intend to use a loudspeaker or carry a banner during a strike is a \u00e2\u20ac\u015bbad use of police time\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

 
\nA similar number (72 per cent) think forcing unions to submit what they are planning to post on Facebook, Twitter and on blogs during a strike two weeks in advance to the police would be a \u00e2\u20ac\u015bbad use of police time\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

 
\nUnder current proposals, if unions violate restrictions on picketing they could be hit with financial penalties of up to \u00c2\u014120,000.<\/p>\n

 
\nPolice forces also shared the public\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s concern that policing picket lines would be a strain on time and resources.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bPolice forces are stretched to the very limit,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Police Federation vice-chairman Will Riches.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis proposal for officers to more intrusively supervise strikes indicates more clearly than ever that what we need is a wide-ranging debate to inform both the future direction of the police service and the public\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s expectations as to what we are able and simply unable to do,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added.<\/p>\n

 
\nTory prejudice exposed<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 
\nFrom human rights groups <\/a>to businesses and former ministers, staunch opposition to the Bill is quickly mounting. Unite general secretary Len McCluskey today (September 10) echoed the idea that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not only trade unions who unequivocally reject the entire purpose<\/span> of the Trade Union Bill.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bNot one of the blue chip companies with which Unite works has said that the law needs to change because good employers value the role trade unions play in the workplace, with far more often than not disputes resolved through consultation and negotiation,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt is hard to find a shred of support for this shabby bill. Former ministers have termed it \u00e2\u20ac\u0098depressingly ideological and completely unnecessary\u00e2\u20ac\u2122,” McCluskey added.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt would seem that the only support for it is around the Conservative cabinet table, sadly exposing their prejudice and poor understanding about what unions actually do to support working people and improve working conditions.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Be sure to contact your MP and tell them to do the right thing and vote against the Trade Union Bill.<\/p>\n

 
\nYou can do just that right here<\/a> \u00e2\u20ac\u201d it takes less than 30 seconds to do your part to protect working people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rights.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Days before the Trade Union Bill comes up for its second reading in the Commons on Monday (September 14), the government proposals have come under fire not only from trade unions, but from all sides, including the public, independent bodies , leading politicians and academics.   Former business secretary under the coalition government, Vince Cable, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4534,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[344],"wps_subtitle":"Experts and public alike oppose Trade Union Bill","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5594"}],"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=5594"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5598,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5594\/revisions\/5598"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}