Minister has to back down over attack on union leader

Union leaders reacted angrily yesterday after Alan Johnson, the Employment Relations minister, accused some union bosses of wanting to turn the clock back to the 1970s and live on "planet Zog".

Mr Johnson attacked militant union leaders for criticising the Government's record and urging a return to the employment rights that existed before Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979. He said in a newspaper interview: "The TUC left planet Zog 20-odd years ago. But a few union leaders go back for the occasional day trip."

Mr Johnson, a former leader of the Communication Workers Union, criticised the "red in tooth and claw" rhetoric of candidates in union elections as unrepresentative of members' views. He said: "It's all just shouting and screaming."

The minister singled out a call by Kevin Curran, who was confirmed yesterday as the new general secretary of the GMB union, for the return of the closed shop, which forced workers to join a union.

Nick Brown, the minister for Work, refused to back Mr Johnson's criticism of Mr Curran, saying he had voted for him in the GMB election. He said: "I think he'll do a first-rate job."

Later Mr Johnson insisted that he believed Mr Curran was a "good guy".