Tory anti-unionattack - organiseto kill the bill

July 15 witnessed the firstreading of the Tories' newanti-union bill effectivelya series of amendments tothe Trade Union andLabour Relations (Consolidation)Act (1992).

The Trade Union Bill aims tomake what Tony Blair once calledthe most draconian anti-unionlaws in Europe, harsher still.David Cameron's slip of thetongue, in the Commons told thesimple truth for once - it is an anti-strike law.

It makes the balloting procedureeven more complex for getting astrike, it criminalises the picketingnecessary to make it effective, andcuts the finances unions need toengage in political campaigningand representation. Last but notleast it restricts the time availablefor union representatives to performtheir duties of representing and pro-tecting members in the workplace.

In short it is another measure ofclass injustice meant to tip thebalance of power still further in

favour of management and thebosses that own and control Britaintoday.

The right of workers towithdraw the labour that providesservices and creates profits is themain weapon workers possessagainst the overwhelming power ofthe bosses. Without this wenegotiate from a position of totalweakness.

Whether in the private or publicsector our employers own orcontrol the workplaces and all itsplant and its equipment - not us.They employ a huge managementapparatus to control the workforce;they can call in the judges and thepolice to enforce their propertyrights.

They can fire us virtually withimpunity and they cannot in thefinal analysis be compelled to takeback workers wrongfullydismissed. Therefore the onlyprotection for the individual workerfaced with this huge concentratedsocial power of capital is collectiveaction - ultimately to withdraw ourlabour.

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Despite the fact that Britain nowhas a very low incidence of strikescompared to the 1980s even in thepublic sector - these remainirksome to the employers and theirgovernment. The recent tube strike,precisely because it was soeffective - was intolerable to them.

The public and ex-public sectorremains a stronghold of tradeunionism. Since the Tories aredetermined to massively reduce thewelfare state, health and educationor privatise and outsource themthey need to break trade unionresistance. Hence the law aimed atcrippling strikes in vital services.The public sector now faces theequivalent of the 1980s onslaught.

The Right to Strike Campaigncould not come at a better time. Themeasures outlined in the new billinclude:

In key public servicesincluding health, education, fire,transport and energy sectors itwould require a minimum 50 percent turnout, with a 40 per cent votein favour of action. This meansabstentions would be counted asvotes against and undermines thedemocratic principle of takingaction by simple majority vote.

All unions, not just those affil-iated to Labour, must ask eachmember to 'opt-in' to the politicallevy and then repeat the questionevery five years. The purpose is torob Labour of funds from affiliatedunions and will cripple otherunions' ability to run politicalcampaigns.

Picketing the courts rule as'unlawful' or 'intimidating' wouldbecome a criminal offence and newprotections will be available forstrike-breakers. Unions will be

compelled to name an official toliaise with police and enforce thepresent practice of restriction to amaximum of six pickets.

Unions will be compelled torenew strike mandates with freshballots within four months.

Bosses will be given the rightto hire agency staff as strike-breakers and the legal notice beforethe start of industrial action will bedoubled from seven days to 14.

The government will beempowered to set a limit on theproportion of working time anypublic sector worker can spend ontrade union duties.

The government certificationofficer will be given sweeping pow-ers to fine trade unions up to20,000 for breaches of reportingrules including an annual audit ofpickets and protests. Thecertification officer willfurthermore have the power to initi-ate investigations and will befunded by a joint levy of unions andemployers.

A description of the tradedispute and the planned industrialaction planned must be printed onevery ballot paper. This will givethe courts a further issues to declareballots invalid on spurioustechnicalities.

It is vital that we support acampaign at the grassroots withaffiliation from as many branches,and workplace organization aspossible we need mass meetings toinform members about the attacks.

As the bill makes its waythrough parliament we will needmilitant 'Kill the Bill' marches,

sieges of the House of Commons,all suitable forms of direct action.We should copy the LCDTU of the1970s and build up to a series ofdays of action- where possiblestrike action.

Leaders like Len McCluskeyhave talked about the need to breakthe law 'if necessary'.

We will certainly have to beprepared to do do if we are to stopthis attempt to restrict the unions'ability to take effective industrialaction even further.

Pledges to defy the bill and theother laws should be promoted inevery union. Media unions shouldbegin an open campaign against theanti-union propaganda in thebosses' media and demand freespeech for trade unionists. A masspetition with signatures gatheredin the communities, the streets aswell as the workplaces culminatinga march on Parliament when itdebates the final stages of the Billcould help to mobilise mass supportand build up the trade unionmovement.

Of course we will need to call on theTUC and individual unions to call massdemonstrations and action up to andincluding a general strike to kill the bill.But our action must extend to repealingall the anti-union legislation andfighting for the Labour Party to table aTrade Union Rights Act in parliament.

Lastly, a successful campaign cannotsimply be a defensive struggle againstthe Tory anti-union laws, but anoffensive to unionise the millions ofworkers who need a trade union especially those in the private sector,low paid, those on zero-hours contracts,etc.

We need to launch such acounterattack against the whole bossclass that the Tories and their backerswill wish they had never dared toimpose this iniquitous bill.

Write to us: Workers Power, BM Box 7750, WC1N 3XX or email: contact@workerspower.co.uk