Government rejects unions’ calls for more powers

Alan
Johnson, employment relations minister, rejected trade union calls to give the
movement more freedom at the TUC conference.

Bob
Crow, general secretary at transport union the RMT, castigated Labour for
"failing to get rid of the Tory laws".

"We
demand a total repeal of every strand of Tory trade union legislation," he
said.

Johnson
responded by urging unions to work in partnership with employers and stressed
the Government had no plans to give unions more powers. Referring to
legislation that enforced secret ballots in industrial disputes, Johnson said:
"We have no intention of giving unions any rights to hold strike action
with out balloting their members."

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He
mocked the militant language used by trade unionists as "a faint echo of a
return to the finger jabbers".

By Paul Nelson