Reforming Britain’s antiquated industrial relations laws

mattghg

"However, as we have often seen, unions can also act as an obstruction to reform, wrecking businesses and public services in an attempt to supplant the policies of elected governments with their own."

Indeed. With Labour out of power the unions can no longer buy the government; instead they have to threaten it.

TomTom

I fully accord with making Union ballots wholly transparent and representative but would urge that the same be done for "Shareholder Democracy" and that votes on remuneration be made binding and not "advisory". That institutional shareholders be forced to vote openly or to lose the right to dividends.

It is time for Trades Union Members to be offered Legal Insurance Protection independent of Union Membership and that they receive Annual Reports including audited financials of their Union and the highest paid officials and perks

Dick

Another useful reform would be to make unions liable for third-party losses due to strikes. Why should everyone else be out of pocket when the dinosaurs choose not to turn up to work?

whatawaste

Why is it that when all of us have to conform to equality laws to prevent racial discrimination in all walks of life that leaders of trade Unions appear to be exempt? Is Bill Morris going to be Britain's first and last black Trade Union leader?

Perhaps the Commission for Racial Equality should investigate this exclusive club that is "hideously white".

laverda

I hope 'normal'working people contact their MP and/or No.10 website and insist the coalition government scrap the 'union modernisation fund' which labour used to circulate money (millions)from the taxpayer to themselves via the trade unions.
I wonder if anyone else has noticed how overweight and obese the majority of union leaders and delegates appear (as well as MP's.

alexsandr

just stop the modernisation fund right now. I dont know why the taxpayer has to subsidise these people.

alexsandr

and subject the closed shop arrangements to an inquiry by the competition authorities.

toontoon

Why should my employer know if I am a member of a union? By knowing if I am a member an unscrupulous employer could ensure that non union members are preferred over union members for things such as promotions.

Rosie

@Laverda - is this the same fund paid from the DfID which gave millions to unions during Labour's time (then circulated back to Labour)?And has this anything to do with the ring-fencing of the DfID's budget?

Ian Stewart

"Antiquted" Laws??? Come of it! There have been tranches of anti- Union laws since 1979, and they were not only left in place by New Labour, but also augmented.
This is just unjustified Union bashing. All these "reforms" proposed during this thread boil down to one thing - "oh how we wish the combination acts had not been repealed".
This isn't conservatism, its "Time Team" for reactionaries.

HFC

What TomTom said - union subscribers must be considered to be members as in a club or shareholders as in investors and either way must be furnished with copies of fully audited annual accounts.

Private Schultz

I agree that it is undemocratic that a strike can be called when only a minority of a union is in favour - I think I read that only 30% of the union voted in favour the last tube strike. I think it should require 51% of the total membership in favour for strike action. Or failing that, the strike should not be binding on those members who abstained or voted against. Why should a minority of one union be permitted to disrupt businesses across London?

AndyLeeds

'Both the law and trade union behaviour give unions monopolies on particular workplaces.'
Exactly. It is illiberal for a trade union to have the cover of law in preventing another organisation from establishing itself in a workplace if those employed there wish. It is anti-democratic. And many of the unions have consolidated to such an extent they are monopolies and ought to be broken up.

Maggie

I think they rant on like that every year but no-one's taken any notice for the past thirteen.

Fiona

A few observations:

"One current problem is that ballots typically neither specify a particular grievance nor indicate the length and nature of industrial action". Really? I think you'll find that lawful industrial action can only take place if there is a legitimate trade dispute - qualification is covered by S244(1) of TUL(C)RA.

"One current problem is that ballots typically neither specify a particular grievance" Yes but do you seriously think people vote "Yes" in a ballot for strike action without knowing what the grievance is?

"...nor indicate the length and nature of industrial action" All ballots are time limited to four weeks from the date of the ballot. No trade union these days, not even the RMT, would ask their members to go on strike indefinitely - they know they would never achieve a "yes" vote!

"...unions devote so little of their resources to keeping membership lists accurate" This simply isn't true. Ask your subscriptions department if their list of subscribers is anything more than a snapshot. They are constantly updated. Most subscriptions are deducted at source, by employers, and prior to any industrial action unions always seek payroll information to double check their lists. No union is unaware of the consequences of a badly out of date membership list. No union would go to all that trouble and expense only to have a ballot ruled unlawful.

"...we propose a joint audit of union membership by employers" See above. Trade unions will be delighted by this proposal, it's employers who resent these requests!

"We believe that workers should have choices ... of what unions to belong to". Fine, but bear in mind there is NO POINT joining a union which is not recognised by the employer, and you cannot force an employer to recognise a union which has less than 50% of the workforce in membership. This protects the employer! Show me an employer who would choose to negotiate with several unions when their employees can all be represented by one?

"Allowing agency staff to cover the work of striking employees would simply recognise the fact that a worker does not own their job". Agency staff, managers, other staff do already cover strike action - ask BA who trained loads of its other workers to be cabin crew. Workers know they do not "own" their JOB - it's their contract of employment which cannot be transferred to another worker without a dismissal taking place.

Before I get slated, I am not a member of a trade union, but I do know about employment matters.

As to ballot result thresholds, I doubt this will be an issue in the months to come as it is likely that the coalition's budget proposals will do more for trade union membership and engagement than they could ever have achieved themselves.

CS

Perhaps all the trade union laws passed by the Thatcher governments should be repealed on the basis that none of those governments commanded the support of 40% of the electorate.

An interesting innovation might be a Use of the English Language Act prohibiting the use of "wealth creator" to describe anyone in the private sector who was raking in cash from fat public sector contracts.

Dorothy Wilson

toontoon: That's daft. If it happened the employer would be hauled before a tribunal.

laverda

#Rosie
Yes. But I don't think it should be ring fenced as do probably millions of other taxpayers. E-mail No.10 and/or your MP and demand that it is scrapped.

barry daze

Sorry Fiona, this isn't the place for rational debate or facts. If you knew anything about unions you'd know they are hellbent on destroying this country by promoting workers' rights and safety and ensuring that your right to withdraw your labour, a fundamental human right and a hallmark of a civilised society, is protected. This is a gorrible goal, unless we get to the stage that workers have no rights then we're no better than the French. Do you think we became a world super-power by letting people work decent hours for decent pay? Of course not!

So, off with you, and take your facts and properly sourced information to a site where people listen to arguments and make rational decisions.

Ian Stewart

Agreed barry, you can prove anything with facts...

Fiona

Barry, Ian - yeah, what was I thinking? Doh!