Plans to gag striking workers dropped in ‘significant’ Conservative climbdown
Nick Boles: He seems to have realised Tory plans were too extreme.
It seems the Tories had included plans to make picketing workers give their names to the authorities in their Trade Union Bill – without realising that this would make it possible for firms to illegally blacklist strikers.
Do you believe that?
It seems the government will also ensure that there are no rules ordering unions to give police two weeks’ notice before posting social media messages about strike action.
That doesn’t stop the Trade Union Bill from severely restricting the rights of working people in the UK.
And the Tories say they are the Party of Freedom; of Choice.
Whose?
Business Secretary Sajid Javid has dropped plans to gag striking workers in a significant climb down.
The Government had planned to force trade unionists to give the police two weeks’ notice before posting messages on Facebook and Twitter about strike action.
The measures in the Trade Unions Bill had been branded “Franco-ist” by the former Tory minister David Davis MP.
But the Department for Business says it will no longer press ahead with the measure.
Minister Nick Boles said: “The Government has no intention of making every individual on the picket line give their names to the authorities.
“Nor do we want to stop strikers using social media or require them to seek police approval for Tweets before they are posted.
“There is also nothing in the Bill that facilitates the illegal practice of blacklisting.
“However, to remove all doubt we will table amendments to the picketing clause of the Bill that clarify our intentions.”
Dave Ward, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, said it was a tactical move and did not change the substance of the Bill which will make strike action almost impossible.
Source: Plans to gag striking workers dropped in ‘significant’ Conservative climb down – Mirror Online
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I don’t believe either of the stupid ideas were ever genuine. They were there solely to be “dropped” to give the illusion that you have a government willing to listen and concede when needed whilst the bill goes through unscathed.
Significant? We all know that they will give just enough to just enough people. They are on the back foot and we must keep pushing.
So in other words they are watering the bill down to the one they originally wanted? And we musn’t forget that strikes are illegal in china – but lately they have been on the rise – they can legislate against strike action – but they can’t stop it!
When they make it illegal to strike, the (inevitable) strikes will be illegal.
I can’t imagine how they think that will force people to go to a job which is so bad they can’t abide being there though. It’ll just incite them to riot instead.
we are rapidly becoming a police state and it can only get worse. Our private communications are open to examination by Government, we cannot strike despite pay being abysmally low for most people etc etc ‘Democracy’ is not delivering for the majority of people when legislation curtailing every freedom we have can be passed so regularly and so easily. A new model is needed before the limited freedom we have left is gone altogether. As the analogy goes – if the frog (you want to boil for whatever reason) is thrown into boiling water it will jump out but if you heat the water gradually…..
I believe Cowling said that conservatives wanted freedom which kept inequalities unchanged and brought back the old inequalities
He thought even neoliberals were too left-wing – he was considered the father of British neoconservatism (which is considerably to the right of normal neoconservatism)
They’re clueless, pompous, posh idiots who lie all the time and never listen at all, what else would you expect!