A contribution to discussion. Picture above shows NHS nurses in front of a union banner held by South Wales miner, on strike in solidarity to demand higher pay for NHS staff. Free Our Unions activists report discussions at work about supporting NHS workers’ pay demands, and colleagues saying they would be willing to strike in supportContinue reading “Solidarity strikes with NHS workers?”
Author Archives: freeourunions
How anti-union laws harm the fight for disabled people’s rights
By Janine Booth, Secretary, RMT Disabled Members’ Advisory Committee Britain’s anti-trade-union legislation makes it harder for unions to fight for the rights of disabled workers and disabled people more generally. How? Limiting issues on which unions may lawfully take action Trade unions may take lawful industrial action only in pursuit of ‘bona fide trade disputes’.Continue reading “How anti-union laws harm the fight for disabled people’s rights”
Know your enemy!
A discussion paper written by right-wing lobbyist Nicholas Finney arguing for further restrictions on strikes, and discussing how these restrictions could work, has been uploaded to the Academia website. Although the paper is undated, and appears to be unfinished, it has clearly been written in the last few years, since the imposition of the 2016Continue reading “Know your enemy!”
Support Myanmar’s workers, striking for democracy
Free Our Unions salutes the struggle of workers in Myanmar for their rights and for democracy, and calls on the British labour movement to step up to support their fight. We note and urge others to note the central role being played there by a political general strike against the military coup and for democracy, the “Civil Disobedience Movement”.Continue reading “Support Myanmar’s workers, striking for democracy”
Model motion for Labour Party conference
Free Our Unions encourages supporters active in the Labour Party to submit motions based on the below model text to their local parties, for submission to Labour Party conference 2021. The deadline for CLPs to submit motions to the conference is 13 September. If the motion is endorsed by your branch or CLP, email usContinue reading “Model motion for Labour Party conference”
A letter to the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs
Dear comrades, We’re writing in response to your recent pamphlet Winning the Future: Socialist Responses to the Coronavirus Crisis. Well done on producing it – it’s a contribution to the urgent task of raising the labour movement’s ambitiousness and confidence in difficult times. In the spirit of your call for the pamphlet to be “widelyContinue reading “A letter to the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs”
Free Our Unions public meeting, Tuesday 2 March, 6:30pm
CONFRONTING ANTI-UNION LAWS Tuesday 2 March, 6:30pm-8pm Log in via Zoom here. How have recent and ongoing workers’ struggles confronted restrictive anti-strike and anti-union legislation, and what effect would it have on those struggles if those restrictions were removed? We’ll hear from speakers involved in disputes and campaigns about how they’ve dealt with these issues,Continue reading “Free Our Unions public meeting, Tuesday 2 March, 6:30pm”
Overturn Shrewsbury convictions – and scrap today’s anti-strike laws!
The Free Our Unions campaign sends its full support to the trade unionists currently pursuing a Court of Appeal case to overturn their 1972 convictions for their role in a construction workers’ strike over pay and health and safety issues. The appellants are the 14 surviving members of the “Shrewsbury 24”. One of the long-runningContinue reading “Overturn Shrewsbury convictions – and scrap today’s anti-strike laws!”
Labour Unions consultation
Labour Unions, the network of trade unions which affiliate to the Labour Party, is conducting a consultation on its future campaigning, and is inviting trade unionists to make suggestions for campaigns. Free Our Unions encourages supporters, particularly those in Labour-affiliated unions (although members of non-affiliated unions can also participate), to respond to the consultation, andContinue reading “Labour Unions consultation”
Enact TUC policy!
For the past two years, TUC Congress has passed radical policy on the anti-union laws. The 2019 policy stated: “Congress believes workers need strong rights to join, recruit to and be represented by an independent union; strike/take industrial action by a process, at a time and for demands of their own choosing, including in solidarityContinue reading “Enact TUC policy!”
Free Our Unions 