A last resort

By Byron Taylor

At Unions Together we know the pride that trade unions take in their powers of negotiation. Yet even they are unable to reach an agreement with a government that calls for negotiations in one breath, then rejects any suggestion of compromise in the next. The end result can only be the one we are seeing today, with over 700,000 trade union members taking industrial action in protest.

We need to be clear that industrial action is the last resort for trade unions. Members have to pay the mortgage, fill the car with petrol, and feed their family. All of these tasks are becoming increasingly difficult in a time of recession. To take industrial action is to lose at least a day’s pay and also risk dismissal – taking action remains a sackable offence in UK law.

Yet the right to strike is a fundamental right. It allows workers to protest against the unreasonable actions of an employer. It is the sanction against those who do not value their employees. It gives dignity in employment. Even those who do not support today’s action must support the right of working people to take action.

A key function of the public sector has always been to improve wages and conditions in the private sector, by creating benchmark standards that the private sector must meet in order to retain able workers. The coalition government is perverting this logic by attempting to level down public sector pensions. For those workers in the private sector this should be a cause for concern – if the government wins this dispute, then better pension provision in the private sector will become a distant hope.