Tories announce plans for tough anti-strike laws
The Conservative manifesto will contain measures to stop "rolling" strikes and ensure that a minimum turnout threshold is reached before a walkoutBy Peter Dominiczak, Political EditorUnion bosses are to be stopped from holding “rolling” strikes and will only be able to stage walkouts with the support of 50 per cent of the workforce, under Conservative plans.
6:00AM BST 18 Jul 2014
The Tories will legislate to ban rolling mandates, with a law that a strike must take place within three months of any ballot.
There will also be a legal requirement for a 50 per cent turnout threshold for any strike ballot to be lawful, ministers said.
The moves would put an end to union powers to hold an unlimited number of strikes based on a single vote that has enabled the NUT to take action three times this academic year alone.
The measures will appear in the Conservative manifesto.
There is currently no turnout threshold for strikes. It means disruption caused by strikes can result from the actions of a relatively small number of hardliners
Unions are also able to repeatedly hold strikes based on just one vote because under the current rules, as long as initial action is taken within 4 weeks of a ballot, a mandate remains live for as long as the dispute continues.
David Cameron last week condemned a strike by the NUT which was called based on a summer 2012 ballot of just a quarter of NUT members.
He said: “How can it possibly be right for our children’s education to be disrupted by trade unions acting in that way? It is time to legislate and it will be in the Conservative manifesto.”
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As part of the Tory plans, illegal picketing will also become a criminal offence.
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SOURCE - The Telegraph - here.
NUT = National Union of Teachers - here.
The Telegraph Article - 10 July 2014
NUT walkout: why are teachers striking?
Today, members of the NUT will walk out in a strike that is set to affect thousands of schools across England and Wales – we ask, what's it all about?
10 Jul 2014
Let’s start at the beginning; why are the NUT striking?
According to the NUT, teachers are “under attack” by the current Government. They have been embroiled in an ongoing battle over pay, pensions and working conditions for over two years.
Strikes in the past – including October and June 2013 – have also included teaching union the NASUWT; however, they declined to take part in the last strike in March and won’t be taking part in strike action tomorrow.
-------------------------------------------------The NUT is calling on all members in state schools in England and Wales – and members in sixth form colleges in England – to walk out on July 10.
SOURCE - The Telegraph - here.
COMMENT
Anti-strike laws?
What, Cameron's legislating for state imposed worker slavery?
And no 'illegal' picketing?
This affects all unions and all workers, at the end of the day.
Workers should be thankful for union hard-liners, past and present.
If it wasn't for hard-liner union members and unions, pay and conditions for workers would be appalling - as they are in some developed parts of the world.
