Telford public rally against the Trade Union Bill
Workers from across Shropshire will join the public in a rally against the Government’s Trade Union Bill at Belmont Community Hall in Wellington at 7.30pm this evening.
The Trade Union Bill, which has started its passage through the House of Commons will enable employers to break strikes by bringing in agency workers to cover for strikers. Such legislation could have significant safety implications, lead to worse public services, and will undermine the right to strike.
And bill proposes huge restrictions on peaceful picketing and protests. Striking workers will have to tell their employer all their plans – including what they will post on Facebook - two weeks before they strike.
Midlands Regional Secretary, Lee Barron, said: “We are holding this public meeting in Telford – along with many others across the region – to raise awareness and concern about the government's Trade Union Bill. This bill is the biggest attack in thirty years. Not just against trade unions, but against our best chance of raising productivity, pay and demand. Because here is a simple truth: you can't create wealth without the workforce. And you can't spread that wealth around fairly without trade unions.
“If an employer believed we couldn’t strike, they wouldn’t bother to bargain. We wouldn’t have safe workplaces, we wouldn’t have paid holidays and we wouldn’t have equal pay.
“Nobody would deny that strikes can be inconvenient. But when it comes to a threat to the fundamental right to strike, the public are with us. Because that's exactly what this government is doing. Attacking the very principle of the right to strike."
