The Scoop

Tube unions declare victory over Boris Johnson's strike ban

Adam Bienkov | Friday 24 May, 2013 15:04

Tube unions today declared victory after Boris Johnson admitted that he has failed to persuade the government to bring in new anti-strike laws.

The Mayor has spent three years calling for industrial action to be banned unless more than 50% of union members take part in the strike ballot.

However, speaking to the London Assembly earlier this week, he admitted that he had failed:

“We had high hopes that the coalition would take this up but it has not been possible to persuade the government to go even for the moderate proposal of a 50% turnout threshold…We’ve made this case repeatedly to government at all levels. Occasionally we have heard some favourable mutterings from the oracle, but nothing has ever really been produced and it is very frustrating I won’t hide it from you.”

Johnson was elected on the promise of a ‘no-strike deal’ with unions in 2008. However he quickly admitted defeat and switched to a new call for strike bans instead

David Cameron initially appeared interested in the idea, but has since gone quiet.

A spokesperson for the Rail and Maritime Union told The Scoop today:

“This is another victory for the RMT and shows that even Boris Johnson recognises that he can’t overturn the principles of democracy to suit himself and have one set of rules for the political class and another for the working class, however we remain on guard for further attacks from the bosses and the right wing.”

Tube unions RMT and Aslef today threatened “the strike of a generation” over proposed cuts to their terms and conditions.

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