A NEW grassroots campaign called on the trade union movement yesterday to launch a national demonstration in defiance of the Tories’ punitive anti-strike Bill.

The Right to Strike campaign is organising a series of events across Britain following the surprise presentation of the toughest union curbs since Thatcher before Parliament’s summer recess.

Unite, Unison and PCS branches have signed up to the new campaign.

Campaign organiser Edd Mustill, a Unite branch officer, said: “This is an ideological move designed to push legitimate trade unionism outside the law.

“We need to start talking about what our responses to this law will be, starting with a huge trade union mobilisation to defeat it.

“We are working with others in the movement such as the Campaign for Trade Union Freedom to make sure the unions take a real stand.”

The announcement of the Tories’ proposals yesterday will also be followed by an emergency public meeting of the Institute of Employment Rights (IER) to discuss the implications of the Bill. 

Speakers include Unison head of local government Heather Wakefield and employment law professor Keith Ewing.

IER director Carolyn Jones said: “The proposals on strike action will impose impossible thresholds for the majority of trade unions under our archaic, over-restrictive and increasingly expensive balloting procedures.”

Meanwhile union leaders turned fire on ministers for claiming to act in the interests of democracy while obstructing online balloting. And FBU general secretary Matt Wrack slammed ministers for their cynical attitude to public servants.

“Firefighters, ambulance workers, Tube workers and others were praised last week for their response to the London bombings on 7/7, but this week the Tories are planning to attack their rights at work,” he said.

Unite leader Len McCluskey called the Bill a “cynical and partisan attempt to make sure that only the Tories have the cash to fight future elections.”

ATL general secretary Mary Bousted said the proposals “put ideology ahead of the rights of working people.”

But Prospect, which represents senior civil servants and private-sector professionals, described the proposals as “the right policy for the wrong reasons.”

The union’s general secretary Mike Clancy said that in spite of concerns over facility time and the use of agency workers he would “welcome the challenge and pledge to work hard to meet it.”

IER’s public meeting has been called to discuss the Bill on Wednesday July 29 at 6pm at NUT headquarters in Mander Hall, Mabledon Place, London.