The Tories, trade unions and British democracy under threat
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Version 0 of 1. The anti-union proposals by Tory business secretary Sajid Javid (Tories launch biggest crackdown on trade unions for 30 years, 15 July) are more savage than even many activists were expecting. The arbitrary ballot thresholds, criminalisation of picketing, re-ballots every four months, employers free to break strikes with agency labour, limits on facility time and attacks on union political funds are about breaking our ability to operate effectively. The Tories are out to fundamentally shift the balance of power towards government and employers. Under the coalition workers suffered the longest squeeze on living standards for generations. This legislation signals that government wants to remove what it believes to be the biggest barrier to further attacks. These moves are anti-democratic, undermine our basic right to organise and show, just as in Greece, the lengths the rich and powerful will go to make ordinary people pay the price of austerity. Our movement needs to mobilise as never before to oppose these laws. We call on trade unionists and anti-austerity campaigners to go all out to build for the demonstration called by the TUC at the Tory party conference on 4 October and to back further protests organised as the anti-union legislation goes through parliament. We will not allow these laws to pass unchallenged or allow a Tory government to use the legal system and the power of the state to undermine our ability to defend working people.Michelle Stanistreet General secretary, NUJ, Mark Serwotka General secretary, PCS, Ronnie Draper General secretary, BFAWU, Ian Lawrence General secretary, Napo, Jane Aitchison and Sean Vernell Joint secretaries, Unite the Resistance, Kevin Courtney Deputy general secretary, NUT, Liz Lawrence President, UCU, Ian Hodson National president, BFAWU, Peter Pinkney President, RMT, Sandra White MSP These proposals express the huge change in post-war Conservative attitudes since the Thatcher-Tebbit days • These proposals express the huge change in post-war Conservative attitudes since the Thatcher-Tebbit days. Until 1979, many leading Tories were prepared to treat trade union officials as equals, with a legitimate place in the nation’s affairs. Between 1970 and 1974, when Edward Heath was the Tory prime minister, the TUC as well as the Confederation of British Industry were invited to Chequers. In fact the then Tory government actually proposed and almost implemented a policy of state control of prices and dividends with the joint oversight of economic policy by a tripartite body representing the TUC, the CBI and the government. So much has changed for the worse since 1979.Chris BirchLondon • Perhaps to demonstrate their commitment to “big society” principles of professional and civic responsibility, the Tories could at last allow electronic voting in union ballots. It is a nonsense that when virtually all government administration takes place online, they persist in preventing the exercise of workplace democracy in this way. The introduction of electronic voting would vastly increase the number of votes cast, allowing unions to reach the 50% threshold and allowing real workplace democracy. If the government wishes to avoid claims of vindictiveness and is serious about its big society claims, this would be an ideal step for it to take.Jessica Khoshooee (Unison)Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan • To complement the government’s proposed reforms, would it not be only fair for them to extend the legislation to shareholders in public companies? A 50% turnout, with a 40% support, would be mandatory from shareholders if the directors proposed to contribute to a political party. One shareholder, one vote of course. The mandate might then be extended to customers, who would simply click a button to indicate whether or not they wished to contribute to the political levy when buying goods.Dr Alan ChedzoyWeymouth, Dorset Just as union bosses are agents of their members, so, for example, pension fund managers do not own the shares held • The often deployed statistic on Tory plans to discipline the unions is that they only have the backing of 24% of the electorate themselves. The fact that our government is controlled by a small, wealthy, privileged elite is actually more representative of our democracy than most care to recognise. Nearly all companies, corporations and organisations are private tyrannies, with a top-down hierarchical structure. If we were to organise society like we do the workplace, there would be revolts, if not outright revolution – yet millions of people subject themselves to this day in, day out, and it never crosses their minds that things could be organised democratically. They only call it class war when we fight back.Stuart BibbyWeston-super-Mare • I am a member of the National Trust. It does quite a lot of campaigning so I expect it has a fund specifically for this. I have not been asked whether I wish to contribute to this fund, nor do I expect to be, nor do I mind.Michael WoodgateBristol • Don’t tell me: Harriet Harman and Liz Kendall think Labour shouldn’t oppose it?Jem WhiteleyOxford It is right and just that citizens whose organisations give money to political parties, should each consciously opt-in. (PM ‘rigging rules’ by changing law on trade union political funds – Harman, theguardian.com, 15 July). This applies to union members as equally as it does to company members, the shareholders. Just as union bosses are agents of their members, so, for example, pension fund managers do not own the shares held, they are owned by the individual members of the pension funds, who thus have the right to vote. Every political donation by such agents or company board should be divided by all the actual members, and each member be asked to opt-in to the payment. This will also apply if executives take large bonuses to personally pass on to political parties; they must first obtain the shareholder’s permission.Noel HodsonOxford • With total predictability, the CBI is giving its backing to the government’s proposals to reduce the power of trade unions. It takes every opportunity to divert attention from the obvious facts that its members are paying wages which are far too low, employing too many staff on zero-hours contracts, and avoiding paying the taxes due to the Treasury. Already this month it has objected to Cameron’s aim to force companies with more than 250 employees to publish pay differentials between male and female workers, preferring the proven failed policy for data to be published on a voluntary basis. Then there was the blame for low productivity being put on the “skills shortage”, whilst simultaneously objecting to the budget’s “measures to boost apprenticeship numbers”, a proposal which could lead to businesses themselves teaching the exact skills needed (Skills shortages hindering growth in critical sectors, CBI poll reveals, 13 July). The CBI presumably thinks the taxpayer should fund thousands of new teachers being trained to deliver advanced courses in schools, in subjects like construction, manufacturing and engineering, even though it constantly lobbies for lowering corporate tax levels, and does nothing about reducing the £40bn tax gap. How can democracy be defined as the silent majority being classed as a dissenting majority? The common practice among FTSE 100 companies of paying CEOs around 140 times the amount paid to the average worker in the company has to be a huge hindrance to improving productivity, especially when workers are denied a share of the profits their efforts bring to the firms. Decreasing the huge gaps in pay, both between bosses and workers, and males and females, is critical in reducing the problem of low productivity, itself the result of lack of foresight shown all too often by our politicians and the CBI. Your article quoted the CBI’s deputy director-general’s comment supporting the “introduction of thresholds as an important but fair step”, but omitted the section which stressed how the CBI “has long called for the modernisation of our outdated industrial relations”. If they are so outdated, shouldn’t the CBI be supporting the introduction of “electronic balloting” for unions, as Frances O’Grady sensibly argues?Bernie EvansLiverpool • The affront to democracy of imposing a 40% threshold of all employees having to vote for public sector industrial action in the trade union bill can be evidenced when such a threshold was included in the Scotland Act 1978. It included a requirement for a “post-legislative” referendum to be held in Scotland to approve the act’s coming into force. During its passage through parliament, a wrecking amendment (introduced by George Cunningham, an anti-devolutionist Scot who represented an English seat) added a further requirement that the approval at the referendum be by 40% of Scotland’s total registered electorate, rather than by a simple majority. A majority (52%) voted at the referendum in favour of an assembly. However, as this total represented only 33% of the registered electorate as a whole, devolution had to be abandoned. How can democracy be defined as the silent majority being classed as a dissenting majority either in referenda or in union strike ballots?Bert CloughNewbury, Berkshire • The first strike in recorded history occurred in ancient Egypt in the 12th century BC, when workers did not receive their rations. The strikers were hereditary craftsmen who worked on the tombs of the pharaohs. Since that date every dictatorship has attempted to limit or remove the right to strike. If the Conservatives were serious about encouraging voting on strike action, they would allow for workplace ballots that always record a higher turnout. If workers are denied the right to strike, other action can cause more disruption, spontaneous walkouts, mass sick days, or the “go slow”. It may have escaped the government’s notice but strikes are always a last resort – workers lose pay and the public suffers inconvenience. Ramesses III reign was marked by rampant corruption and embezzlement. The granaries were pilfered with no account of why the stores were empty. Plus ça change?Richard KnightsLiverpool |