Trade union bill slams door on ‘One Nation’ Britain, says Unite
Ministers were urged to rethink the restrictive proposals in the Trade Union bill that threaten to cast unions as the enemy within, Unite, the countrys largest trade union, said today (Wednesday 15 July).
Unite said the best way to increase voting in industrial action ballots was to develop secure workplace balloting and introduce online voting, as the Conservatives were doing to select their candidate for next year's London mayoral elections.
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: “Today the government has slammed the door of David Cameron’s ‘One Nation’ Britain in the face of millions of trade unionists.
“These measures aim to deny working people a voice and to tilt power still further towards the rich and big business, who funded the Tory re-election campaign. Tory claims to be the `workers' party' can be seen fully for the fraud that they were.
'‘I appeal to the government to think again. Do not go back to the days of trade unions being ‘the enemy within’.
“If the government is truly concerned about increasing participation in strike votes, then why not work with us to develop secure workplace balloting and introduce online voting, just as the Tories are doing with their London mayoral selection.
“I say to the prime minister, if it is good enough for your party then surely it is good enough for Britain’s workers?
"And the party funding proposals are a cynical and partisan attempt to make sure that only the Tories have the cash to fight future elections. Everyone concerned with our democracy should unite to oppose them.”
