Businesses attack strike plans

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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It will be no surprise to hear that around two thirds of business leaders in the UK believe that strike activity in the short to medium term will severely impact upon the ability of the UK economy to recover. This is the first time that business leaders have spoken out en masse regarding strike activity as the unions continue to flex their muscles and take on the UK government. So will strike activity really have a major impact upon economic productivity in the UK?

Even though strike activity is perfectly legal and perfectly legitimate where the rules have been followed, and members have voted, it can have a major impact upon UK economic output. One course of strike action may have a minimal impact but over the last few months we have seen various unions working together to bring out their members en masse against everything from economy savings at British Airways to the introduction of new technology at the Royal Mail to pension issues in the public sector.

There is no doubt that the unions and the government are getting ever closer to a serious stand-off with rumours that David Cameron and his coalition partners are now ready to do a "Margaret Thatcher" and reduce the power of the unions in the courts.

[Godric]

we will soon have no rights in this country only "do as you are told or look for another job" from big business

[ass asin]

then its time to take the fight onto the streets

[bexhil palace]

then its time to take the fight onto the streets

For the first time ever, i wish i lived in France.
Those guys fight for their futures, what do we do?
Tut a lot, thats what.

[guvenor]

and we used to laugh and take p out of the french
at least they still have some balls to put up a fight we are sheep in this country for the safety or security of a quick buck
(lump sum / bonus culture)we would sell our soul and have done often.
scared to take action in case you lose money and to think we used to rule an empire
f***in brave us are we not

[BELIAL]

Vive la france , the only europeans that ain't americans yet

[baldrick]

Vive la france , the only europeans that ain't americans yet

Cheese eating no surrender monkeys.

[Stormproof]

I can see it kicking off over here soon with all the cuts, cuts, cuts. Of course it won't be anywhere on the scale of the French the British have'nt got the backbone/bottle. We are such an apathetic country. Perhaps when the cuts affect the majority they might actually stand up for themselves.

[wolfie citizen smith]

I read this on the BBC website

19 October 2010 Last updated at 16:17 Share this pageFacebookTwitter ShareEmail Print Could unions carry out mass industrial action?By Michael Millar

BBC Business News


In theory, unions do have the power to cause widespread disruption A little known and untested law could allow British trade unions to organise mass industrial action on a scale similar to strikes seen in France and Greece.

The UK's trade union movement is holding a rally outside the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday to protest at the government's spending cuts.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber told supporters in Westminster that they should fight the government's cuts programme, which would make Britain "a more unequal, more squalid and nastier country".

Could this be the precursor to mass strikes in the UK, similar to those seen in Europe?

Coordinated action

The trade unions certainly have the will to stage mass industrial action.

At the TUC Conference in September, members backed a motion to "support and co-ordinate campaigning and joint union industrial action, nationally and locally, in opposition to attacks on jobs, pensions, pay or public services".

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
Logistically, it would be very difficult to organise given all the balloting requirements”
End Quote
Tom Flanagan

Pinsent Masons

Unions promise to fight job cuts
Despite membership continuing to fall, the movement also has the numbers.

Government figures show there are still 7 million trade union members, and almost two out of three of them are in the public sector, where the cuts will hit hardest.

But there are numerous steps unions have to take before their members are legally protected from sanctions like dismissal.

Recently, unions have struggled with these in single ballots, let alone in coordinated action.

Also key is the principle that there has to be a trade dispute with an employer before a strike can go ahead, so for all the rhetoric, a call to action on political grounds won't suffice.

Concerted effort

But the trade unions could have one powerful legal weapon at their disposal.

If you delve deep into the Trade Union Labour Relations Act (1992), which sets out the current law on industrial action, you will find Section 228A, which has yet to be tested.

This allows a single ballot of union members with any number of employers around the country - provided that the union is in dispute with all of them - and it appears that it does not even have to be the same dispute.

Tom Flanagan, employment partner at Pinsent Masons law firm, says that if unions could organise a strike on that provision in the private and public sector, it could mean a series of national strikes which, if organised in concert, could almost amount to a general strike.

"There are two problems with this," explains Mr Flanagan. "There has, in the past, been a lack of joint interest between widely differing workforces, particularly in the private sector.

"It's different in the public sector - there are some common contracts and bargaining agreements which do provide this common interest between large groups like doctors, teachers and civil servants," he said.

"Secondly, logistically, it would be very difficult to organise given all the balloting requirements."

Political savvy

If trade unions can jump these hurdles, questions remain over whether they will get the public support that is critical to pressuring politicians into caving in to their demands.

A recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found that after the pay freezes and cuts in working hours many have already endured, a majority of workers would quickly lose sympathy if strikes caused disruption to essential services.

So the trade unions do have the theoretical power to cause widespread disruption; it remains to be seen if they have the political savvy and organisational skills to turn their bark into a bite.

[brothermagrew]

Aforementioned Section 228A of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 reads:

228A Separate workplaces: single and aggregate ballots. E+W+S.(1)Where section 228(3) would require separate ballots to be held for each workplace, a ballot may be held in place of some or all of the separate ballots if one of subsections (2) to (4) is satisfied in relation to it.

(2)This subsection is satisfied in relation to a ballot if the workplace of each member entitled to vote in the ballot is the workplace of at least one member of the union who is affected by the dispute.

(3)This subsection is satisfied in relation to a ballot if entitlement to vote is accorded to, and limited to, all the members of the union who—
(a)according to the union’s reasonable belief have an occupation of a particular kind or have any of a number of particular kinds of occupation, and
(b)are employed by a particular employer, or by any of a number of particular employers, with whom the union is in dispute.

(4)This subsection is satisfied in relation to a ballot if entitlement to vote is accorded to, and limited to, all the members of the union who are employed by a particular employer, or by any of a number of particular employers, with whom the union is in dispute.

(5)For the purposes of subsection (2) the following are members of the union affected by a dispute—
(a)if the dispute relates (wholly or partly) to a decision which the union reasonably believes the employer has made or will make concerning a matter specified in subsection (1)(a), (b) or (c) of section 244 (meaning of “trade dispute”), members whom the decision directly affects,
(b)if the dispute relates (wholly or partly) to a matter specified in subsection (1)(d) of that section, members whom the matter directly affects,
(c)if the dispute relates (wholly or partly) to a matter specified in subsection (1)(e) of that section, persons whose membership or non-membership is in dispute,
(d)if the dispute relates (wholly or partly) to a matter specified in subsection (1)(f) of that section, officials of the union who have used or would use the facilities concerned in the dispute.

[ziko]

Im moving to China. As I will have more human rights.

[steven100]

I'm moving to Thailand, kamikaze run country

[DGP1]

FFS, the way things are going we could end up with more rights in North Korea (but you could only rise to the top job if your name is Kim though ).

[BELIAL]

Much more open here, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha's are ten a penny.

[ass asin]

dgp1 i think our boss is called kim im forever hearing the guys say f**k kim