Last year, I was delihted to welcome Brian Caton of the National Prison Officer's Association to speak at a meeting I organised in support of the LRC. Brian turned up at incredibly short notice and gave a rousing speech. I suspect he will now be making a few more following the news that the Government is re-introducing the Tory legislation which banned prison officers from striking.
Jack Straw has just announced that he will reinstate a statutory ban which was first imposed by the Conservatives in 1994, and at the time was opposed by Labour, who later repealed the law in 2005.What a disgrace! The POA is unlikely to take this one on the chin. Indeed Colin Moses has just been on the radio saying the union will take its case to Europe if necessary. The right to strike is a fundamental one which no Labour Government should take away. Straw's approach is hardly conciliatory and seems guaranteed to further inflame the situation .
Monday, 7 January 2008
JACK STRAW BANS PRISON OFFICER STRIKES
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4 comments:
Not strictly correct comrade. Without arguing for or against the ban, the repeal was only introduced subject to a voluntary agreement with the union being in place. Blunkett announced in the House of Commons, on record, when repealing it that should the union give notice to withdraw from the voluntary agreement, the government would have to reintroduce the legislation.
NAPO gave notice that they wished to withdraw from the voluntary arrangement. The Government did what they said they would do and gave notice of reintroducing the legislative position.
as I say, I'm not talking pros and cons of the no strike deal, but I think you rather misrepresent the position.
The fact is that Labour is reinstating a Tory pieceof legislation. Perhaps also unnecessarily inflaming the situation by being confrontational rather than conciliatory - something of a patttern in the artitude toi public sector workers.
I don't disagree with you Sue. I just think the POA are also being confrontational. That is their right, of course, as a free and independent trade union, but all I wanted to point out was that this wasn't sprung upon them, they knew when they signed the original voluntary code what the consequences of withdrawing from it were.
It is one thing to complain about draconian legislation, but if they felt so strongly about it I don't think they should have signed the voluntary code in the first place.
But the MPs want the whole 2.8%
while public sector workers have to be stagged
It's not the POA the Government need to be worried about its the support amongst NHS staff, Prison officer, fire fighter for the Police Federation
People are not stupid they know the Police Fed have a good case and members solid (even if I still have major concerns about the Police Fed). Ordinary members of unions see the Police fed having a go and they will back them
why would they want to strike if the police fed (with the help of the Tory media)can do all the work in knocking down the Governments short sighted and foolish treatment of public sector pay bargaining
Shows the leadership have lost contact with trade unions, they dont even understand that its about honouring pay bargaining not about pay rises
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