date: 25 March 2013
embargo: For immediate release
The TUC has today (Monday) called upon the House of Lords to reject plans in the Crime and Courts Bill which would prevent over 3,000 civil servants working for the National Crime Agency from taking strike action in the future.
The TUC said the new legislation was the beginning of another attack on public sector workers' right to strike.
TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said: 'The TUC is opposed to this Bill in its entirety and in particular the clauses that seek to ban civil servants in the National Crime Agency from taking industrial action.
'The right to strike is a fundamental human right. To remove it from a group of civil servants is draconian and unnecessary.
'We fear that it is the beginning of an attack on the rights of those working in the public sector to take industrial action.
'Unions will always work very hard to reach a negotiated settlement during a dispute with their employer. However as a last resort, and where their members vote for strike action in a ballot, they must be free to defend their position by withdrawing their labour.'
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk
- Follow the TUC on Twitter: @tucnews
Contacts:
Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk
Alex Rossiter T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07887 572130 E: arossiter@tuc.org.uk
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