Right to strike is 'fundamental British liberty', says TUC general secretary

Conservative MPs are calling for more red tape to frustrate workers

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady (Reuters)

The right to go on strike is a “fundamental British liberty” and should not be restricted by the Government, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress has said.

Frances O’Grady told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the Government had “another agenda” in its opposition to the Southern railway strike and that it wanted to undermine trade union rights further.

Her warning comes as Downing Street distances itself from calls to strengthen anti-trade union laws further. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling previously said he would “not rule anything out” when it came to anti-strike laws.

This year the Government passed the Trade Union Act, which introduced further red tape to make it harder for workers to down tools.

But some Conservative MPs have seized upon the latest strike on ailing suburban railway networks in the south of the capital.

“Many people worry that there’s another agenda here. Some MPs seem to be calling for even more draconian laws against trade unions when we’ve just had the Trade Union Act,” Ms O’Grady told the Today programme.

“Most people agree striking is a last resort, we don’t want to do that, we want a fair agreement. The right to strike is a fundamental British liberty that the vast majority of the public support, including voters across all parties.”

Conservative MP Chris Philp said during an appearance on the same programme that other countries had tighter restrictions on the extent to which railway workers could strike.

Chris Grayling had previously refused to rule out increasing strike red tape (PA)

“I completely accept the right of people to strike but it has to be reasonable and proportionate and it can't inflict pain on the public that goes beyond the complaint," the Croydon South MP said.

A Downing Street source said last night: “Any changes to union laws would not be able to solve the current disputes. They will be solved by mediation and we would urge the unions to get round the table.

“In this Parliament, we have already passed legislation to provide people with better protection from undemocratic industrial action. Of course, we will keep under review how these measures are working in practice.”

Speaking this morning Ms O’Grady added: “Let's just remember that this dispute is about safety – on a 12-car train carrying over 1,000 passengers in the rush hour, the driver gets just two seconds to check 24 sets of doors.

“We know that passengers, like staff, want guards on trains and they want them to have that safety-critical role.

“I'm afraid that the ministers and MPs on this are sometimes just out of touch with overcrowded, overpriced trains, companies getting huge public subsidies.”

Her invocation of British liberties come a day after Communities Secretary Sajid Javid suggested that all public officials should be forced to swear and oath of loyalty to “British values”.