Sutcliffe to oppose strike calls
The government is to oppose trade union calls to revise employment laws to allow workers to take supportive strike action in special circumstances, reports claim.
Union leaders meeting for the Labour party conference in Brighton are reportedly pressing for the proposal to be discussed by delegates this week.
The Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) is calling for a change in the law following the Gate Gourmet dispute, when workers at the airline catering firm were sacked for taking unlawful strike action at Heathrow airport.
The dispute led to planes being grounded and thousands of passengers being stranded last month after British Airways (BA) ground staff walked out in support of the dismissed workers.
But employment relations minister Gerry Sutcliffe has spoken out against the union proposals to allow sympathetic strike action.
Writing in the left-leaning Labour magazine, Tribune, Mr Sutcliffe said he accepted the need for an inquiry into the dispute, but vowed there would be “no return to the 1970s” in the field of industrial relations.
He called for discussions over the union demands to be “adult, reasoned and without abuse” after warning that “unchecked egos” could create unnecessary confrontation over the proposals.
Meanwhile, Gate Gourmet has said that the jobs dispute involving its workers may be resolved next week following talks between the catering company and union representatives on Friday.
“Following several hours of detailed talks yesterday, September 23, held between the TGWU and Gate Gourmet, with the assistance of the TUC (Trade Unions Congress), all sides agreed that good progress had been made,” a spokeswoman for Gate Gourmet told the Reuters news agency.
“The talks were adjourned and will resume on Monday morning, when all parties hope to be able successfully to conclude their discussions,” she added.
