The Trades Union Congress is today holding a national demonstration in Cheltenham against the government's latest anti-union laws, the Minimum Service Levels Act.
It marks the 40th anniversary of the Thatcher government's attempt to ban GCHQ workers from being members of a trade union. Following a mass campaign of defiance and pressure, these moves were repealed under the incoming Labour government in 1997.
Speaking ahead of the protest, Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said:
“In its final months in office, this dying Tory government is seeking to prevent workers from striking even when they have a democratic mandate to so. In the fire and rescue service, as in other sectors, this could amount to a de-facto strike ban.
“The trade union movement cannot and will not accept this attack on basic democratic rights. The Tories’ agenda is about driving down wages and conditions while the rich get richer.
“The TUC is committed to a campaign of mass resistance to the Minimum Service Levels Act, up to and including non-compliance, and we look forward to a Labour government repealing both it and the 2016 Trade Union Act within its first 100 days.”
ENDS
