‘A STRIKE A MONTH’ UNDER LABOUR PLANS TO BACK WORLD WORKERS
BRITAIN could be hit by crippling strikes every month under Labour plans to legalise industrial action in support of disputes abroad, a minister warned last night.
Liz Truss, the chief secretary to the Treasury, savaged the suggestions by shadow chancellor John McDonnell as “anti-aspiration and anti-enterprise”.
Mr McDonnell had discussed reforming laws to allow action “in sympathy” with militant workers overseas.
Figures show there were more than 5,830 strikes globally in 2017, but just 79 in Britain.
Major public sector walk-outs were staged somewhere in the world in every calendar month.
Under any reformed strike laws, British trade unions would get the go-ahead to down tools in solidarity. Mr McDonnell has spoken out in favour of sympathy strikes in a recent series of interviews.
He said: “When we go back into Government, we will restore trade union rights, and that will enable workers to take similar sympathy action on the basis of supporting fellow workers internationally.”
He also confirmed that he would “enable that sort of sympathy action”.
Ms Truss said: “This is further proof Labour would undermine everything that has made our country successful. They are anti-aspiration, antienterprise and anti-worker.
“Instead of focusing on what matters, John McDonnell would bring Britain to its knees with permanent strikes.”