Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “Today the House of Lords is being asked to agree the general principles of this legislation and we respectfully suggest to Peers that the Bill is fundamentally flawed and should be rejected without further consideration. This anti-union legislation means that when workers democratically vote to strike, they could be forced to work and sacked if they don’t. That is undemocratic, unworkable and almost certainly illegal.

“It is a direct attack on working people’s fundamental right to strike to defend their pay, along with other terms and conditions. Going on strike is always a last resort for any worker. However, the threat of strike action helps to focus the minds of employers on reaching an agreement in negotiations. It is essential that we protect the right to strike.

“So we urge Peers to vote against the anti-strike law being debated in the House of Lords today. The Government needs to be told that they should be focussed on negotiating settlements and promoting good and fair industrial relations; not undermining workers’ rights with unwanted legislation.”

Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades.

TUC petition can be signed at: www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/protect-the-right-to-strike

TUC protect the right to strike campaign: www.tuc.org.uk/ProtectRightToStrike
 
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion