Boris Johnson attacks unions
Boris Johnson, the Lord Mayor of London, has today issued a stinging attack on the UK unions claiming that new legislation is required to ensure that at least half of union members actually vote on strike action. This comes amid further disruption on the London Underground which will leave around 30% of services running today and will in many cases bring the city to a standstill.
There is no doubt that over the last few months there has been a significant increase in the number of strike calls from unions in the UK. However, when you look at the statistics regarding voting patterns it is fairly clear that in many cases while the majority of those who have voted have voted for action, this does not always represent a minimum 50% of the overall union membership.
This call to action by Boris Johnson is the first major sign of major friction between the Conservative party and the unions in what many believe will be a subject which dominates the political arena for some time to come. Whether or not the Labour Party will step into the fray as a peacemaker or possibly on the side of the unions remains to be seen.
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