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SAJID JAVID has snubbed requests to meet his own constituents over the Trade Union Bill, the Morning Star can reveal.
Workers travelled to Parliament from across Britain yesterday to meet their local MPs — including Tories — as part of a TUC lobby.
But the minister with responsibility for the legislation has refused to hear the concerns of his own constituents.
The Business Secretary declined an invitation to speak to union members living in his Bromsgrove constituency at a meeting on October 29.
Unite, Unison and GMB organised the meeting last Thursday evening, by which time MPs have normally returned from Westminster to their constituencies.
A union source said Mr Javid declined the invitation without giving a reason why he could not attend or proposing an alternative date.
A Business Department spokeswoman also confirmed yesterday that Mr Javid and other ministers had no plans to meet union members from their constituencies as part of the TUC lobby.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell told the Star: “I find that really shocking. It’s unprecedented.
“Even in the worst of the worst relations between trade unions and governments in the past, whoever was in power, there’s always been a willingness to sit down to talk, negotiate and come to a settlement.
“That rule book seems to have been torn up by this government.”
The TUC was forced to get its message across to ministers by parking two vans with huge advertising hoardings outside the department’s Westminster office.
The government spokeswoman insisted though that Skills Minister Nick Boles has “had a number of discussions” with the TUC and would continue to do so.
David Cameron has finally replied to a letter from TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady — five months after she sent it.
Ms O’Grady wrote to Downing Street on May 15 with a request to meet the PM, but revealed last month that he had not bothered to reply.
Now the Star has learned that Mr Cameron has agreed to a meeting, although no date has yet been fixed.
It will be the first time the PM has met TUC representatives since July 31 2014.
