Following the passing of the Strikes (Minimum Service Level) Act in July, the Tories on Friday launched a six week ‘consultation on the reasonable steps trade unions should take when implementing minimum service levels during strikes.’
In the press release accompanying this announcement, the Tories proclaimed: ‘Consultation will produce a statutory “Code of Practice” providing clear guidance that will ensure trade union members comply with work notices given by employers prior to strike action’, adding this will ‘ensure unions maintain their legal protection during lawful strike action.’
This code of practice will lay out to the unions and their members all the legal instructions forcing workers to cross picket lines to break lawful strikes, while it sets out all the legal requirements on unions to enforce strike breaking to comply with the demands of the employer.
Failure of workers to obey these demands means instant dismissal, and any union not complying with the code of practice will be liable for fines of up to one million pounds.
The immediate reaction of the TUC was to denounce it as a ‘sham’ consultation, with TUC general secretary Paul Nowak saying: ‘No matter how much the government tries to spin it, the Conservatives are brazenly attacking the right to strike. This is a sham consultation. Ministers have ignored a mountain of evidence on how these laws are unworkable and will escalate disputes.’
Complaining that all the previous appeals by the TUC that these laws are unworkable were ignored, Nowak continued: ‘Our message is loud and clear. The entire trade union movement will rally behind any worker sacked for exercising their fundamental right to strike.’ He pledged the TUC would ‘fight this legislation all the way – exploring all avenues, including legal routes.’
Striking a defiant note Nowak went on: ‘We won’t stand by and let workers get sacked for defending their pay and conditions. And we won’t rest until this Act has been repealed.’ Nowak then completely undermined his defiant posturing when he reverted to the usual TUC position of begging the bosses to come to the aid of the union bureaucracy by making a direct appeal to employers saying:
‘This shambolic, unworkable legislation will frustrate employers and unions alike. Every decent employer must reject this blatant attempt at union busting. They should do everything in their power to avoid using this counterproductive legislation – and tell the government to rethink these regulations which will poison industrial relations and drag out disputes.’
Who are these ‘decent employers’ that Nowak is appealing to?
It certainly can’t be the rail companies who have used millions of taxpayers’ money handed to them by the Tories to wage a war to smash the rail unions.
It certainly won’t be the Tories themselves who are determined to use the anti-strike laws against all public employees in the emergency services like fire, ambulance and border security workers.
Nowak is desperately searching for a way out for the TUC leadership – a way out of any real fight against the Tories.
He says the TUC won’t stand by and let workers get sacked for defending their wages and conditions putting them, whether he likes it or not, on a collision course with the Tory government.
There is only one route the TUC must be forced to take to carry out this pledge made by Nowak and that is to call a general strike to bring down the Tories and bring in a workers’ government and a socialist planned economy.
With the trade union movement on a collision course with the Tory government, the TUC Congress in Liverpool on 10-13 September is a decisive turning point for the working class.
The burning issue that must be confronted at Congress is forcing the TUC leaders to either call a general strike or be removed and replaced with a new leadership prepared to lead the struggle to kick out the Tories with a general strike and go forward to take the power and replace this bankrupt British capitalist system with socialism.
Join the lobby of Congress called by the WRP on Monday 11th September to fight for these demands. Join the WRP to build up the leadership necessary to organise the victory of the British Socialist Revolution.
