Unprincipled protest

THE whole point of taking a principled stance on a particular issue is that it comes at a personal cost.

The more selfless the sacrifice, the greater the power of the gesture. To hear their bleating, you’d think the trade unions were suffused with ascetic self-righteousness. But is everything as it seems?

As the Mail reveals today, the militants – including the Royal College of Nursing – have amassed a staggering £100million war chest to fund industrial action.

Yet this allows many of those who strike to pocket tax-free payments to cover lost wages. That creates a perverse incentive.

Those taking part in the first nurses’ strike in history next month, causing misery for thousands of patients, could earn more than colleagues who stay on the wards.

The Government must close this scandalous loophole.

No one wants to scrap the right of workers to down tools. But it’s wrong for them to profit from wreaking such havoc – especially if their actions threaten patients’ safety.