“Why are the government attacking the workers and their union?

“Why are the government attacking the workers and their union?

In the last month there has been a concerted negative campaign to target workers and their trade unions. By that I refer to the stories in the press questioning the role of the trade unions and the link to the Labour Party. The Coalition Government attacks are directed on funding of the Labour Party and now it seems future funding of political parties may now be funded by the tax payer?

What is of interest are the private donations by multinationals who are clearly wanting something in return.

It was interesting to read that over £100 billion of public sector contracts have already been handed to the big private sector contractors such as G4S, IBM. Serco, Balfour Beatty, BT, and Capita

It is not until you read the list of MPs with financial interests and links to the NHS see here that you can see whay the NHS is already under threat of mass privatisation

Where are attacks?

1. Employment Tribunals

Earlier this week news broke that workers would have to pay if they wanted to take their employer to an employment tribunal.

Workers can expect to pay between £160 to £250 simply to make a claim and a further hearing fee starting at £230 to £950.

This is clearly designed to stop access to justice for workers who have been unfairly dismissed or discriminated against.

However if a worker belongs to a Trade Union this fee will be covered case if UNISON takes up the case for the member

The Good News is that UNISON has won the right to have a JR hearing over tribunal fees read here

2. Attack on Trade Unions and their members

I refer of course to the “Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill 2013-14”

The above Bill is a direct attack on Trade Unions and our members working across the public and private sectors. It ignores the growing public concern that rich and powerful individuals and corporations hold over policy making and politicians

3. Privatised workers lose rights to National Pay Awards.

When workers have previously been transferred to the private sector, the link to future the national Pay Awards has been quashed in the European courts see here

4. Attacking collection of Trade Union subscriptions

This dispute concerns the collection of trade union subscriptions by the employer on behalf of the trade union. This is a practice all good employers carry out for a fee paid by the trade union. Reading this report it seems that this petty attack has all the trademarks of anti trade union ideology.