UNISONActive is an unofficial blog produced by UNISON activists for UNISON activists. Bringing news, briefings and events from a progressive left perspective.

Friday 13 November 2009

Banning public sector strikes - Lib Dem's get in on the act‏

The UK's anti trade union laws are so comprehensive - famously described by Tony Blair in 1997 as the most restrictive in the western world - that it takes some ingenuity to further fetter the right to take industrial action.

Step forward Tim Leunig who according to the Liberal Democratic website was “Chair of the Liberal Democrats policy working group on macroeconomics and has been a member of several other policy working groups. At various times he has served as chair and treasurer of his local party, and has stood for the council.”

In a recent FT article (below) Leunig proposes to end national sectoral ballots even where disputes relate to national pay bargaining and national agreements.

As in the case of their regresssive calls for 'savage' reductions in public spending, pay freezes and cuts in public sector pensions the Liberal Democrats show themselves to be no friends of public service workers. They are nicely positioned to be the junior partners in a Tory led coalition Government of the right if their eternal dream of a hung parliament is realised next year.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bf0dfe70-c339-11de-8eca-00144feab49a.html