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Quoting: Mike Pass
This has always been a contentious subject, as we all know.
My personal view has to be split and it is very difficult to bring the two views to a merger:

Every working individual should have the right to withdraw their labour under extreme circumstances. I do not make exception within that for the Armed Forces, other than to say that there is a multitude of issues that must be considered before they went down the road to strike action.

As for the police. It is a logical step to say that, should the police strike, the scum would have a field day. Well, that is logical but can that morally be used as a blackmail tool to prevent the force taking industrial action??
I do not accept that it can be. I hate to use those grossly abused words ’human rights’ but the right to withdraw labour is a given in the Western world and should be protected vigorously.

However, the right to strike has, itself been abused in the last 45 years. I speak as a Trade Union official yet I abhor the actions of the likes of Scargill and Red Robbo in the last century. These dinosaurs had no interest in the welfare of their members, it was all about the downfall of the establishment.
Trade Unionism has, in general, grown up in the past decade and the major percentage of workplace reps will move heaven and earth to avoid ’going down the road’. This I can tell you from personal experience.

There are safeguards employed by the Unions to avoid the wildcat strikes and walkouts of the past. Sadly, many employers refuse to recognise same.
No industrial action can be called and carried out from the ’shop floor’. There are many stages that must be passed prior to the Union executive receiving a request for action. Only the executive can authorise industrial action. It is usually the case that, following a ’Failure to Agree’ being delivered to a Company, the action request takes weeks to reach the executive. This is not due to Management interference, simply the imposition of the Union’s own rulings.

A little background for those among us who do not have the nous to understand how these things work and simply enjoy lambasting the Unions out of their own ignorance.

I do not believe that the Police would ever take industrial action but the RIGHT to do so should not preclude them.  

Last edited by Mike Pass

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Quoting: John (scouse) Hirons



Alright Gerard, I recognise that cheeky chappy. British plods also have the Police Association, the Turn Keys have the POA & the ethnic Bizzies have the Black Police Association as well. But is it right that the guardians of our streets & the incarcerated should have the right to withdraw their labour & should they have the right to join an independent Trades Union?  

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Quoting: John (scouse) Hirons
Since the Police strikes of 1918 & 1919 the Police & Prison Officers are banned from joining a Trades Union & from going on strike.

Today the Police (off duty) & Prison Officers, along with other Government workers, went on a demonstration march (supported by most Chief Constables) to protest against the new pension provisions of having to pay more, work longer & receive less.

The question is;

Does the panel think that Police & Prison officers should have the right to join a Trades Union & should they also have the right to strike.

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