AGM REPORTS

AGM REPORT DUBLIN 2006 More RMT News reports from AGM RMTnews :: september 2006 :: www.rmt.org.uk 20 FOR TRADE UNION FREEDOM A GM backed the campaign for a Trade Union Freedom Bill and demanded the complete repeal of the Thatcher-era anti-union laws. General secretary Bob Crow condemned Prime Minister Tony Blair for boasting that Britain had the most restrictive labour laws in the Western world. Bakerloo Line delegate Brian Munro said that the massive demonstration in London on May Day showed the depth of support for workers’ rights – based on the slogan “workers’ rights are human rights”. Brian said that the bosses were determined to “shackle” workers, with the connivance of government. He argued that everyone should have the right to join and participate in a trade union – and should also enjoy the right to take solidarity action. Bob Crow said that arguments that anti-union laws had brought in some democracy into the union were “rubbish” as it was down to union members to decide the destiny of their own union. “It’s alright for bosses to get together to break strike action by bringing in labour from elsewhere, but if trade unionists do the same thing it is deemed illegal,” he said. He said that the laws were designed to put obstacle in the way of workers defending their interests. He said that the Trade Union Freedom Bill would unshackle workers from arcane laws and give back the right of workers to defend themselves in the workplace.