Member Article

TUC Congress votes in support of general strike

The TUC has voted to support co-ordinated strike action over public sector pay freezes, and pensions reforms.

Dave Prentis, UNISON general secretary addressed today’s TUC Congress in Brighton, saying the coalition had “declared war on our people.”

Both UNISON and GMB union revealed on Sunday that they were prepared to undertake co-ordinated strikes if annual talks with government did nothing to rectify the situation.

The BBC reported Downing Street had stated that it does not intend to reopen the decision over public sector pay.

Simon Walker, Director General of the Institute of Directors, said: “During the financial crisis most private sector unions worked responsibly with management and they have saved jobs by doing so. While industries like car manufacturing flourish on the back of a co-operative attitude from their trade unions, it’s tragic to see that public sector unions are still committed to disruptive strikes for their own sake.

“The Government is rightly sticking to the crucial policy of deficit reduction. The taxpayer cannot afford to provide public sector unions with the seemingly limitless cash they demand – and it’s vital that the Government, as their employer, stands firm.

“The TUC should be following the example of Unite representatives at Ellesmere Port, who saved thousands of jobs by being flexible and positive, rather than pursuing this damaging strike fetish.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .