Tories’ anti-union stunt hits buffers

Submitted by cathy n on 13 August, 2014 - 12:30 Author: By Darren Bedford

Bruce Carr, the QC appointed by the government to review the anti-union laws, has said that his report will make no recommendations.

He expressed “concern” about “the ability of the review to operate in a progressively politicised environment in the run up to the next general election”, and said that while he would still publish a report, it would not provide “a sound basis for making recommendations for change.”

The Carr Review was commissioned in November 2013 after the Unite dispute at Grangemouth, amidst much rhetoric from right-wingers that new laws were needed to prevent “bullying” and “harassment” during industrial disputes. The Tories were also pushing for tougher laws governing strike ballots.

The collapse of the review, and Carr’s effective admission that he was forced to be the front man for a Tory election stunt, is a welcome development for trade unionists. But it should not be a cause for complacency. The Tories have already said they could include commitments to new anti-union laws, including a minimum threshold for strike ballots, in their manifesto for the 2015 election.

Unions need an active campaign against the anti-union laws, and for a positive charter of workers’ rights.

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