Class War Again

The Tories once again demonstrate which side of the class war they are on and it is being welcomed by the employers.

The Tories have already promised to ban strikes if fewer than 50% of union members have voted. The new, higher threshold that of this half of members, 40 % must vote in favour of the strike would apply to key public services — health, education, transport and fire services.  Our arithmetic may be rusty but doesn’t this mean that rather than the exercise of democracy, a mere 10% of the membership can veto the wishes of the majority. A union branch of a 100 has a postal vote return of 50 in a strike ballot, of which 39 vote for a strike, but 11 oppose it and they prevail. Already we have witnessed employers failing to provide up-to-date employee records to the unions to sabotage the postal ballots. Now an additional rule makes it compulsory for the unions to describe what action should be taken on the ballot, removing all flexibility,…whether work-to-rule, overtime bans, selective one day strikes, or rotating the workplaces called out on strike or all-out. Doubling the 7 day notice of industrial action to 14 days will ensure management can put into place strategies to minimise the effects of strikes by stock-piling or re-organising supply chains, and of course, a longer time to recruit and train strike-breakers.

Katja Hall, deputy director-general of the CBI, said the ban on employers seeking temporary agency staff during a strike is long overdue. This will be used for bringing in scab workers to break a strike and the government is well advised to reinforce the criminalisation of picketing laws because these changes is guaranteed to lead to confrontation at the factory gates especially if the overwhelming vote for a strike being insisted upon by the Tories is achieved. It will also result in an increase of unofficial strike action which makes it easier for managers to victimise union activists and inflame industrial relations even further.

David Cameron is prime minister despite only receiving 36 per cent of the vote in the 2010 general election. Only 16 out of 650 elected Members of Parliament secured the support of 40% of those entitled to vote in their parliamentary constituency area election in 2010. Only 15 Tory MPs out of 303 secured that level of support. They had no hesitation in forming a government in 2010 without securing 40% support from the electorate.

The government has now  signaled its intention to end the anti-social payments for NHS staff for working at weekends. Those who do weekend shifts are paid a 33 per cent bonus for every shift worked on top of their base salary. Nurses who work at weekend are paid up to double time on Sundays and 50 per cent extra for evening and Saturday work. In a race to the bottom the government justify these wage cuts because other employers do not pay their staff extra at weekends. The proposed new anti-union laws will certainly make it easier to impose such conditions upon the NHS.

Countries try to compete with each other by lowering wages and slashing the social safety net, despite the high costs both economically and socially. Soon there will be a time for all organised workers to show their muscle and determination.