Unions threaten general strike over 'Victorian' Tory plans to curb industrial action

Union bosses have warned of a general strike this year if Liz Truss becomes Prime Minister and implements 'Victorian' plans to curb the right to industrial action. union action" can no longer "cripple" the economy if it replaces outgoing Conservative leader Boris Johnson.

Mick Lynch, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, said "coordinated and synchronized industrial action" would be needed if legislation was introduced. He said the "very dangerous situation" risked sending the country back to "Victorian times".

Mr's remarks Lynch came as RMT members and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association left only around one in five trains running, bringing the country to a standstill.

Following the In Wednesday's strike action, Aslef - the train drivers' union - announced its members would march published on Saturday August 13, citing the inability of railway companies to pay fer to help members keep pace with the rising cost of life as a trigger.

Mr. Lynch told the newspaper i: "There are a whole series of measures that [Ms Truss] is seeking to bring in that would make it virtually impossible to have effective trade unionism and we believe that would effectively prohibit collective action.

“I think this is a far-right turn on the part of the Conservatives, and they are playing with their reactionary base. I think there will be a huge response from the labor movement."

He continued, "I would seek a general strike if we can get it, but that's for others to decide. . We are a small union compared to the others. So we'll have to see where that leads.

Ms Truss said her government would introduce legislation within the first 30 days of Parliament to ensure a minimum level of service on vital national infrastructure.

She promised that It would also ensure that strike action receives meaningful support from union members by raising the minimum threshold to vote in favor of strike action from 40% to 50%. The minimum notice period for strike action would be increased from two weeks to four weeks, and a cooling-off period would be introduced so that unions could no longer strike as many times as they wished within the six-month period. following an election.

Asked what she would do about rail strikes, the Foreign Secretary told Sky News: 'I would legislate to make sure there are essential services on our railroad.

"It is completely wrong that the traveling public is held to ransom by militant unions. We cannot allow this to happen. We need to make sure our essential services are working.

"As I said, I'm on the side of people who work hard, who go to work, who want to run their businesses. We don't see any hindered by the activities of these militant unions."

A general strike, which can only be called by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), occurs when a "substantial proportion" of workers in several sectors refuse to work until their demands are met.

And asked if it would call a general strike, the TUC stressed that "every strike is a democratic process", but said: "It It's clear this Conservative government is not on the side of workers."

This follows a war of words that erupted on Wednesday between unions and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps after he presented plans to curb industrial action, in particular by stopping industrial walkouts coordination, limiting picketing and having a cooling-off period after strikes.

He told the Daily Telegraph: "I am considering banning strikes by different ions at the same workplace within a specified time. We should also impose an absolute limit of six pickets at critical national infrastructure points, regardless of the number of unions involved, and ban bullying language.

“Ballots must also clearly state the specific reason for the action and the form of action to be taken. In addition, before strike dates are announced, employers should have the right to answer the question quoted on the ballot."

Echoing comments from Mr. Lynch, the General Secretary of Unite, Sharon Graham, said: "If Grant Shapps had his way, we'd all still be in the workhouse.

Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea added: "The government wants to return to Victorian times, when children were sent into chimneys and workers were ruthlessly exploited."< /p>