Conservative plans to ban transport staff from striking unless 40% of the workforce back industrial action have prompted fury from trade unions.
Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin labelled the plans - scheduled for after the election - ‘tough love’, adding that they would stop Britain being ‘held to ransom’.
Yet trade union Unite’s leader Len McCluskey said the ‘chilling’ policy would ‘hit workers enacting their fundamental right to stand up for fair wages, to save our public services and defend their jobs and pensions’.
Under Conservative plans, a strike involving core public sector workers in transport, health, education and fire services would only be legal if it had won the support of at least 40% of union members.
Action would also be taken to lift the ban on agency staff working during industrial action and review ‘minimum service levels’ to provide government with information on how many employees are required to keep a public service running.
Writing for the Telegraph, Mr McLoughlin said: ‘It is not fair that politicised trade union leaders can hold the country to ransom with demands that only a small percentage of their members actually voted for.
‘Sadly, low turnouts are becoming the norm. This is not a war on the trade unions. It's tough love.’
Trade Union Congress general secretary Frances O’Grady branded plans a ‘democratic outrage’, claiming the threshold would ‘effectively end the right to strike in the public sector’.
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Over 20,000 bus workers in London are today taking part in a one-day strike against pay disparities across the capital’s bus networks. It is thought picket lines are in place across 70 bus garages, as employees working for 18 bus operators take industrial action.
Mr McLoughlin claimed the strike has the backing of only 16% of RMT trade union members.
Unite said a refusal by operators to address pay inequality has led to an hourly pay gap of over £3 opening up between staff.
Unite regional officer Wayne King, today urged Transport for London and mayor Boris Johnson to ‘bang the bus operators’ heads together’ and force them to sit down collectively with unions to discuss the dispute.
