Responding to comments by transport secretary Grant Shapps indicating the government wants to make it harder for workers to strike, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said today (Sunday):
“For ministers to be focusing on undermining the fundamental rights of workers rather than tackling the cost of living crisis speaks volumes. They’re only interested in finding scapegoats for their own economic failures.
“The right to strike is a vital line of defence to protect jobs, pay and services. The effect of removing it will be to drive down wages even further, make millions more struggle to pay their bills and push them into poverty.
“For all the sloganeering about levelling up, it’s clear this government doesn’t want workers to be paid fairly and wants to trash living standards.”
Notes to editors
-UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members representing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.