Paying the price for caring

Imagine struggling to make the decision to go on strike … and being given an ASBO. Or tweeting your plan to bring bacon sandwiches to your colleagues on a picket line … and then watching as the union is sued for thousands of pounds. Or working in a job where your skills can mean life or death to the public … and seeing agency staff being drafted in to cover you on strike. Sounds excessive? Maybe even a bit dangerous? Well, these are real plans that the government is currently pushing through as part of the Trade Union Bill in Great Britain. The bill will severely restrict working people’s ability to defend their jobs and pay and to campaign for a fairer society. UNISON is campaigning against it because we believe MPs need to focus on the real problems our country faces and work with everyone, including trade unions, to solve them, rather than taking away people’s right to be supported at work. The proposals on striking go too far. Workers who go on strike and take part in a picket line are threatened with ASBOs. Unions would have to give two week’s notice of any plans for protests associated with their industrial action: even having to give two weeks’ notice of what might be written on websites, Facebook and Twitter. Agency staff could be brought in to cover long-term, skilled workers if they go on strike. General secretary Dave Prentis is urging all members to get involved in the campaign: “These unfair changes will make it much harder for nurses, teaching...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Article Magazine trade union bill trade union bill 2015 Source Type: news