On Saturday, January 27, thousands of trade unionists marched in Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, protesting the British government’s anti-strike law. The call for ‘Protect the Right to Strike’ rally was given by Trades Union Congress and it was attended by activists from a host of organizations, including Unite the Union, Fire Brigades Union (FBU), Universities and Colleges Union (UCU), Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), and ASLEF. The rally was held on the 40th anniversary of the ban on union activities at the Cheltenham-based intelligence agency GCHQ during the Margaret Thatcher era.
The protesting workers also expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine who are reeling under a genocidal war by Israel which is backed by the US, UK, and other European countries.
Earlier in December, at a special conference of the TUC, labor movements resolved to fight and defeat the notorious anti-strike law imposed by the Tory government. The Conservative Party government under prime minister Rishi Sunak had earlier resorted to using draconian anti-union, anti-strike measures, including the widely criticized “Scab’s Charter” and various anti-strike laws.
The government introduced the controversial Minimum Service Level Bill in the parliament on January 10, 2023, which enables the state and private employers to force workers to ensure minimum service during trade union strikes across eight key sectors including health, ambulance, fire and rescue, security, education, and transport.
The bill empowered bosses to sack workers who refuse to provide a minimum level of service during walkouts across key sectors, as well as sue trade unions in court both to prevent strikes and claim damages. Despite fierce protests from unions and progressive sections, the Tories forced the legislation through parliament and it got the royal assent on July 20, 2023. The legislation partially came into effect in some of the key sectors in the UK on December 8.
While addressing the ‘Protect the Right to Strike’ rally on January 27, Unite the Union’s General Secretary Sharon Graham said: “Let me say to the government today. You are the real threat to national security. You have crippled our industries, stopped us from owning our energy, handed our water supply to rampant profiteers. And your latest act of industrial — watching our steel industry being decimated.”
“The Minimum Service Level Act puts this government at war with workers. We will use every tactic in our armory to push back any employer who uses this anti-union legislation. And make no mistake, any employer who chooses to serve the first work notice — this will be seen as a hostile act. A stake in the ground. And we will escalate and we will win”, she added.
Activists from the Communist Party of Britain (CPB) also participated in the march and expressed solidarity with the workers.
The CPB stated that “We need a mass movement and campaign for trade union freedom, to roll back all of the decades of anti-union legislation the ruling class have put in place in Britain. We need a concerted campaign led by all major trade unions, with links to all those resisting attacks on our civil liberties and right to organize under the Tories. Crush the Tory anti-union laws! Defend the right to strike!”
