RMT says being forced to run basic service during strikes is attack on human rights

This article is more than 9 months old

This article is more than 9 months old

Union leaders have reacted with dismay to the Conservatives proposing to introduce laws to prevent all-out rail strikes.

The party, which is due to unveil its manifesto on Sunday, has announced plans to legislate for minimum train services to run during industrial action in the event that it secures a majority government in the upcoming election.

Train operators and unions would be required to sign an agreement to run a minimum number of services in the event of strikes.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) trade union has pledged to lobby against any attempt to stop its members from going on strike.

Its members will have 27 days of strikes during December on South Western Railway in a long-running dispute over guards on trains.

RMT members on West Midlands Trains were on strike on Saturday over the same issue.

Mick Cash, the union’s general secretary, said: “Banning strikes is the hallmark of the rightwing junta, not a democratically elected British government. RMT would fight any attempt to strip our members of their basic human rights.”

Since 2016, more than 160 days of strikes have taken place, or are planned, hitting 11 out of the country’s 17 rail franchises including London Underground, according to the Tories.

Mick Whelan, the general secretary of the train drivers’ union Aslef, said: “The right to strike – to withdraw your labour – is a fundamental human right. We are not slaves.

“Aslef has rarely called a strike and, when we have, it has always been as a last resort and as a result of management intransigence.

“We are not, however, surprised that Boris Johnson and his cronies want to make it even more difficult for hard-working men and women to protect their jobs, pay, terms and conditions. Johnson only acts on behalf of the boss class in Britain.”

Frances O’Grady, the TUC general secretary, accused the Conservatives of making it harder for workers to stand up for decent services and safety at work and to defend their jobs and pay, adding that unions do not take strike action lightly.

O’Grady added: “Suppressing the democratic right to strike is not the way to sort out our railways. The best way to tackle high fares, underinvestment, profiteering and poor treatment of staff is to bring rail under public control.”

The minimum service agreements (MASs) would set in advance the number and nature of staff who would remain at work during any strike. In the absence of an MSA, strike action would not be lawful.

Similar provisions exist in many European countries including Belgium, France, Italy and Spain, according to the Conservatives.

The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said: “Rail strikes have a real impact on people’s lives. They seriously inconvenience businesses and the public, damage the economy, and force people to use less sustainable means of transport.”

The proposal followed the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, saying on Friday that Labour would allow workers “the right to withdraw their labour”.

McDonnell said: “We’ll make sure that people have the right, as in the [International Labour Organization] conventions, to withdraw their labour, yes.”

Secondary picketing – where a picket is set up at a firm not involved in the main strike – was banned by the Conservatives under Margaret Thatcher.

However, when asked directly whether this could mean a return to secondary picketing, McDonnell replied: “No, no we’re not,” adding: “We’re creating a new climate in this country, which is based upon a stakeholder economy.”