Workers paying the price for government’s economic failures

The NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union has told TUC Congress it will resist by any means necessary the Government’s attempts to undermine or remove the right to strike.

Leading a debate on workers’ rights at the event in Liverpool, Dr Patrick Roach called out the Government’s failure to protect minimum service levels as a result of their failure to invest in our schools and other public services.

He called for the repeal of all anti-trade union laws, stronger rights for unions to be able to organise in and get access to workplaces and for unions to be given the right to conduct industrial action ballots online.

Dr Roach said:

“The Government’s systematic assault on our public services has left our key workers broken, our schools crumbling, unable to recruit and retain teachers, headteachers and support staff, and pushed our NHS and other public services to the brink of collapse.

“Pupils, parents, patients and the public at large are being denied the services they have a right to expect because of this Government’s deliberate under-investment in important public services, not because of workers taking lawful industrial action.

“Our legal action against the Government’s attempts to use agency workers to break strike action resulted in a High Court declaration that the Government’s actions were unlawful.

“The Government Strikes Act is an egregious, pernicious, spiteful and vindictive piece of legislation and we will resist it by any means available to us.”