Our rights and freedoms as trade union members are under attack. The government’s Trade Union Bill, currently before parliament, threatens the very fabric of our ability to organise, support and represent working people in this country.
The Trade Union Bill will:
1. Restrict our ability to represent you at work: Facility time allows unions to work with employers to represent members and negotiate collectively to improve terms and conditions. The government wants to severely restrict this time and cut off our voice in the workplace.
2. Stop membership subscriptions being paid from your salary: the government wants to limit your choice about how you pay your trade union subscriptions. Employers were never consulted about this change and most don’t think it’s necessary.
3. Restrict UNISON’s campaigning work: the government wants to burden unions with more regulation around how we fund political campaigning and make it harder for us to stand up for what we believe in. UNISON political campaigning brought us the Working Time Directive, Maternity and Paternity rights, beat back the threat of the BNP in our communities, and delivered the National Minimum Wage.
4. Undermine the right to strike by imposing ballot thresholds: elections for MPs, councillors and Police and Crime Commissioners aren’t subject to minimum turnouts – if they were many would never have been elected. But this Bill would make undemocratic changes to industrial action processes, making it more difficult for you to stand together with your colleagues if your employer enforced unwanted changes to your working conditions.
5. Regulate what you are able to post on social media during industrial action: Do you know what you’ll be saying two weeks from now on Facebook? The Trade Union Bill could make union members report what they’ll be posting about during an industrial action campaign two weeks ahead of time.
What you can do?
Your voice can help us make sure we limit the damage of this Bill. Your MP will be voting on this legislation in November, please contact them today.
On Monday 2 November the TUC is holding a mass lobby of parliament. UNISON West Sussex will be supporting this. If any member living in West Sussex would like to be part of that lobby, please start booking the time off as annual leave or TOIL.
The branch will reimburse standard return rail fares for members.
Please register your interest with the office. We intend to travel as a group; more details will follow soon. Contact us via email: office.unison@westsussex.gov.uk or phone 01243 777636.
At the heart of this Bill is a dangerous attack on our civil liberties and an undermining of our ability to organise effectively. We need your help to convince MPs that it is unfair, unnecessary, and undemocratic.
Join us on 2 November!