The Tories have launched a pre-emptive strike on the rights of workers and, in particular, their union representatives, in the workplace.
Aidan Burley, Conservative MP for Cannock Chase, and Parliamentary Private Secretary to Justine Greening, laid out in some detail the work of union reps to the House of Commons. He then asked rhetorically: “Is not all that the job of the human resources department?”
He told the chamber he believed Government support for union reps means “a huge amount of money is freed up that trade unions can then use on political campaigns”.
Mr Burley added: “In simple terms, the taxpayer is directly funding those men and women who are organising strikes and chaos in this country, and also indirectly funding the Labour Party.”
This adjournment debate in the Commons – and the targeting of union reps and the Labour Party – is significant because although Mr Burley is on the lowest rung of the ministerial ladder, and many of those who sat behind him in the House baying their support are on the right of the Conservative Party, he would not have raised the issue if he thought it would upset Downing Street.
It is believed he had the tacit, if not direct, approval of the Government for his attack.
Because Mr Burley, 32, is not just an “eager young beaver”, but very well connected.
He was only elected to the Commons in 2010 but in January he became parliamentary private secretary to Philip Hammond, for whom he used to work as a management consultant, and he stayed at the Department for Transport when Mr Hammond replaced Liam Fox last month as Secretary of State for Defence.
Many of those on the Labour benches share the fear of trade union officials that this is the start of a Conservative campaign to “do a Thatcher” and undermine the unions.
John Healey, Labour MP for Wentworth and a former Shadow Health Secretary, said: “An end-of-day adjournment debate in the Commons is normally a calm half hour in an empty chamber.
“The other day was different. More than two dozen Tories from the 2010 intake sat baying behind Aidan Burley as he led an all-out attack on trade unions.
“Not an attack on party funding or the freedom to strike or even employment rights, all of which are in the Tories’ firing line. But an attack on the most basic and benign feature of trade union work – the day-to-day support for staff at work by their colleagues who volunteer to act as union representatives.” l
