FIGHTING FOR TRADE UNION FREEDOM

RMTnews :: march 2007 :: www.rmt.org.uk 8 L abour Party leadership contender John McDonnell MP joined a trade union rally in the House of Commons recently to demand the removal of Tory anti- union laws. John McDonnell MP, leader of RMT’s parliamentary group, managed to get his Bill on the Commons agenda but it went to the back of the queue of private members' Bills because of arcane parliamentary procedures and lack of support from Labour MPs. Rally chairman John Hendy QC recalled that, just over 100 years ago, the 1906 Trade Disputes Act was passed through Parliament, giving trade unionists, for the first time ever, the freedom to lawfully organise industrial action. "Today, 100 years later, trade unions have less freedom to organise industrial action than they had then," he complained, adding that Mr McDonnell's Bill was, in fact, "a very modest and moderate" measure. The rally was convened by the United Campaign to Repeal the Anti-Trade Union Laws. Speakers including Katy Clark MP, CWU general secretary Billy Hayes, FBU general secretary Matt Wrack and teaching union Christine Blower urged more MPs to support the Bill and to join the 79 MPs who have already signed Early Day Motion 532 backing it. RMT general secretary Bob Crow was applauded as he castigated Labour MPs who have failed to support the Bill, yet "who come around looking for money" from the trade unions. "They have the cheek to say that they are not even prepared to sign a trade union freedom bill, It's an absolute disgrace," he said. T&G general secretary Tony Woodley urged a major campaign to push the trade union freedom bill through Parliament, despite the failure to secure a second reading for the bill promoted by John McDonnell. Veteran activist Tony Benn quoted the famous communist MP Willie Gallacher, "who once said that the working class goes from defeat to defeat to defeat to final victory". FIGHTING FOR TRADE UNION FREEDOM THE TRADE UNION RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS BILL If enacted the Bill would significantly strengthen trade union rights, including • Better protection for striking workers • Simpler and fairer industrial action balloting and notice procedures • Reform of the use of injunctions by employers • Allowing solidarity action in certain circumstances • Prevention of the use of replacement labour during strikes • Trade-union rights for prison officers. HOW YOU CAN HELP • Join the United Campaign and get your branch to affiliate - get the form from www.unitedcampaign.org.uk • Invite a speaker from the campaign to your next union meeting • Write to your MP asking them to sign Early Day Motion 532