Tens of thousands are homeless on the streets. hundreds of frousands are crammed into shoddy temporary accommodation. Yet the Tories have systematically blocked counciis from building new houses ond flats, and forced them to sell off the best of their stock. Just as tie Torles see unemployment as a "price worth paying" to reduce Inflation, so for them mass homelessness is a "price worth paying" to rorive the private landlord! ARE YOU GETTING a little bit fed up with hearing about the antitweive years since the Tories' legislation ollensive began. John Major isn't fed up. If he wins the coming general election he plans yet another Employment Act. This would be the seventh sinco 1980 Amongst other things, it will make coltective agreements legally enforccahie, introduce before strikes, owlaw the Sooneton Aoreement. and make it difficu!: for unions io am i check to Systole by which union dues are If some in our movement are giving up on the laws the Tories certainty aren't. If you are tired hearing about the it means, and how appalling it SINCE 1980 • Rights to union recoctition have been completely • All forms o" 100% iradio union membership agresments have been isgaily ouliawed.
• All fomis of industria! action have been undermined by the rights given to employers to sack all or any of those taking strike action.
• All forms of secondary action and solidarity action, even by those working for customers and suppliers of firms in dispute, have been declared unlawful.
• All unofficial strikes have been banned, and it is now unlawful to organise any kind or maustral action in suppor of those sacked for participation in suen acuon.
• The detailed requirements for ballots before industrial action have been tightened and tightened. The judges have been able to rule strike after strike unlawful because of delective wordine on the ballot paper. and in cases such as that involving ine scararers In 1968. stop the NUS from even holding a ballot!
• Unions have been forced to hold ballots before they can spend a penny on political purposes. Meanwhile. donate millions to the Tortes without even a shareholders The Tories agree they have weakened union rights. But they claim they have done this in order to increase the rights of the individual. If you are going to tell a lie, they believe Unions governed by draconian and unjust laws like these are not free trade unions. These laws are worse, far worse, than those which apply in any other EC country, in the societies of Eastern Europe or in the USSR. As early as 1983 it the industrial action which Mrs about in Poland would have been illegal had it occurred in Britain. And the same, of course, is true of recent strikes in the USSR.
These laws work. They work to weaken unions, they work to cut wages. They work to instil fear into workers. They were to increase profits. They The isheur movermont should fight for a Labour Government te hainch a crash programme of house bullding and renovation. must be opposed - now.
But we cannot ignore the difficulties involved, so vile are these laws, so far have they gone. The emplovers are able to get an injunction against action. Whilst resistance must be mounted, it can ultimately attract sequestration-the state takeover of the assets of the union involved.
While we must urge resistance to the degree it is possible in every situation where we are confronted by the laws, the permanent answer can combative labour movement demanding that a Labour Goverment repeals the laws hook, line and sinker.
Labour went into the 1987 election on a platform of repeal of the Tory Icgisiation. Since then it has been backtracking all the way. The present position developed by the leadership of the Labour Party and endorsed by the TUC would mean:
• Solidarity action would continue to be unlawful.
• Unlimited fines would still be imposed on unions by the judges if they refused to accept iniunctions, If the fines were ignored total sequestration of a unions asscis could take price • The Taff Vale decision, making unions financially responsible for the actions of officials, consigned to the dustbin of history in 1906 and reintroduced by Tebbit in 1982, the object of class hatred for six generations, would continue in Detailed requirements for balloting compromising the right of union members to make their own rules, would • Individuals would have a right not to belong to a trade union, to undermine bargaining strength and benefit gratis from the endeavours of their brothers and sisters • Restrictions on picketing would continue.
Labour's programme is simply not good enough. There is no room for fudging if we want a clear legal platform on assets.
(c) The right for unions to determine their own constitutions and rule books in democratic procedures, free from any interference by the state.
(f) The right of trade unions to take political action and collect a political levy.
(g) The right to job security.
(h) The right to stop work whenever health and safety are threatened.
(i) The right to employment free from discrimination on grounds of gender, race, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability or political persuasion.
G) The rights of workers and their unions to be fully consulted and informed by employers on all decisions relating to working conditions, tobs nrosnecis, strategic investments, mergers and takeovers and to have the neht to veto such decisions.
(k) Full-time rights for part-time workers; rights for short-term contract workers.
(1) Rights for homeworkers in employment protection legislotion, and financial sanctiots on those who illegally Any such positive rights for trade unions must go hand in would interpret" it - the judges.
Judges and magistrates should e chosen by democratic processes Positive discrimination should provide for more women and the ethnic minorities. Only if we change the admunistration of the law, as well as the form and content, will we secure a lasting and just sottlement for tride unions and, more importantly, for their members.
We should be confident and articulate in our demands. Doing so confirms our faith in our movement, its history and,