Business

Cameron slams Labour over union reform amid 'rigging' claim

CHANGE: David Cameron speaks during prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons yesterday
CHANGE: David Cameron speaks during prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons yesterday CHANGE: David Cameron speaks during prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons yesterday

PRIME Minister David Cameron has dismissed a furious reaction from Labour and the unions to new laws tightening rules on strike ballots and political donations.

Under the Trade Union Bill, a turnout of at least 50 per cent of members will be needed to authorise action.

And in key public services - such as health, education, fire, transport, border security and energy - there will be an additional hurdle that a strike must be endorsed by 40 per cent of those entitled to vote.

The package would also dictate that union members have to actively "opt in" to political levies - the proceeds of which are overwhelmingly paid into Labour coffers - and reduce restrictions on firms' use of agency staff.

The party's acting leader Harriet Harman accused Mr Cameron of "rigging" the funding system to favour the Tories.

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons, she insisted any changes should be brought in by consensus - and had to include restrictions on wealthy individuals making large donations.

"What you are doing is one rule for the Labour Party but something completely different for the Tories," she said.

"To be democratic about this, you must not just act in the interests of the Tory party. Instead of helping working people, you spend your time rigging the rules of the game.

"Now you want to go even further and attack the rights of working people to have a say about their pay and conditions - and that's on top of having already changed the rules to gag charities and trade unions from speaking out.

"You say you want to govern for one nation but instead you are just governing in the interest of the Tory Party."

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady branded the Bill an "unnecessary attack on workers' rights and civil liberties that will shift the balance of power in the workplace".

"Getting a pay rise or defending terms and conditions will become far harder for working people. Even when ballots meet the government's new thresholds, employers will soon be able to break strikes by bringing in agency workers," she said.

"If ministers were really interested in improving workplace democracy they would commit to online balloting. However, they would rather silence protests against their cuts to children's centres, libraries and social care services."

But Mr Cameron told MPs: "I know that the party opposite will not like this, but the fact is, people affected by these strikes do not get to vote.

"That is why it is right to have these thresholds and I think the whole country will see a Labour Party utterly in hock to the trade unions and they will see a Conservative government wanting to sort this out for hard working families.

"The Labour Party can go round and round and round but it always comes back to the trade unions to call the tune."

Mr Cameron added: "I think there is a very simple principle here. If you want to give money to a party it should be an act of free will, not something that is taken out of your pay packet without you being told about it properly.

"If this wasn't happening in the trade unions, the Labour Party would be saying this was appalling mis-selling. They would say it was time for consumer protection."