"We won't be silenced..."
The Tory Government's Trade Union Bill, which is having its reading in Parliament today, was roundly condemned as fascist by all three speakers at a lunchtime protest outside the Civic Centre today.
The Bill would allow employers to break strikes by bringing in agency workers, while imposing restrictions how trade unions organise ballots, how they collect and spend their money and how they peacefully picket and protest. Striking workers will also have to tell employers their plans including what they will post on Facebook - two weeks before they take any action.
"We need to work as trade unions with all of the people who will support us and support our right to exist because that's what this is about" said Steven North, branch secretary of Salford City UNISON
"If this law passes, the ability for us to take legalised action is going to be severely challenged" he added "And it isn't just about ballot thresholds or minimal turnouts it's about what information we can share; it's about what we can put on social media, potentially having to get things cleared by the police...
"I'm not a person who throws the word fascist about very lightly" he explained "but these are fascist ideas, that you would treat trade unionists and the opinions of trade unionists as automatically subversive, when we know that the continued existence of trade unions, whether someone is in a union or not, is one of the very few factors we have that prevents the gap between rich and poor being wider than it actually is...We won't be silenced whether this bill is passed or not..."
Councillor Paul Dennett, Assistant Strategic Mayor for Salford Council, underlined the sentiments when he called the Bill "the biggest attack in thirty years on trade unions...
"Even Tory MPs have likened the Bill to the Franco dictatorship in Spain" he added "There are ghastly arrangements within the Trade Union Bill designed to absolutely hammer the trade unions in this country and make it difficult for you to strike and make it difficult for you to exist. We have to oppose this Bill at all costs..."
Joining the demo were a smattering of other Labour councillors, perhaps emboldened by Jeremy Corbyn's election and shadow cabinet selections, which was praised by Salford Against The Cuts Chairman Paul Gerrard as a "bolt of electricity" and a "breath of fresh air"...
...However, Gerrard added: "In case anyone thinks the fascist comparison is going a bit too far, the right wing Tory MP David Davis made the same point when he said regulations in relation to picketing would be worthy of Franco's Spain..."
Today's lunchtime protest followed an early morning protest at MediaCityUK. The Trade Union Bill is to receive its third reading in Parliament on November 2nd and Salford City UNISON is running a coach to the London demonstration.
For more details on the Trade Union Bill see previous Salford Star article click here
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