Jan 29

UNISON joins Cheltenham rally to defend the right to strike

  • 29 January 2024

On Saturday 27 January, around 5,000 people took to the streets of Cheltenham against the Tories’ new anti-strike laws.

The date marked the 40th anniversary of GCHQ’s ban on trade unions, when Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government attacked trade union rights in 1984.

UNISON, along with other unions, say there are parallels between this historical event and the new Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023.

The Minimum Service Levels Act could restrict the right to strike for over five million workers. The new law stipulates that, when workers in certain public sectors vote to strike, they could be forced to attend work and sacked if they don’t comply.

Ambulance workers could be the first facing the sack for taking strike action, under this Tory government’s new draconian laws.

They are leading the march to protect the #RightToStrike, just as GCHQ workers did 40 years ago under Thatcher’s government #CheltenhamDemo pic.twitter.com/E7gnjiwkkf

— UNISON – UK’s largest union (@unisontheunion) January 27, 2024

UNISON branches from across the country travelled to Cheltenham to join the thousands-strong march.

Thank you to all our members who came from across the country to march in Cheltenham today for workers’ rights and the #RightToStrike

So impressed to have union banners from Scotland to Lands End at the #CheltenhamDemo.

We won before.
We will win again. pic.twitter.com/VQ7kFsMg70

— UNISON – UK’s largest union (@unisontheunion) January 27, 2024

Similarly, just as it was a Labour government in 1997 that overturned the GCHQ ban, unions hope that a Labour government will repeal the Tories’ anti-strike legislation.

UNISON Scotland stand with our general secretary @cmcanea at the demo to protect the right to strike, for over five million workers. @The_TUC #CheltenhamDemo pic.twitter.com/o6RrRwVu1K

— UNISON Scotland (@unisonscot) January 27, 2024

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea, who spoke at the rally, said: “Rather than fixing the problems that force workers to take strike action, government ministers want to threaten public sector workers with the sack.

The biggest risk to the public is not striking workers, it’s more years of a Conservative government, and more years of cuts.”

The article UNISON joins Cheltenham rally to defend the right to strike first appeared on the UNISON National site.