Summer of Discontent
The Scotsman reports today that the government's Business Secretary - Vince Cable - is off to the seaside in Brighton - with a message for the GMB annual conference.
The unions are trying to talk up a 'Summer of Discontent' - with a day of national strike action planned for 30 June - in the public sector at least.
So Vince has a blunt message for the 500 or so delegates and will apparently tell them:
"The usual suspects will call for general strikes and widespread disruption. This will excite the usual media comments about a summer of discontent, and another group of the usual suspects will exploit the situation to call for the tightening of strike law.
We are undoubtedly entering a difficult period. Strike levels remain historically low, especially in the private sector. Assuming this pattern continues, the case for changing strike law is not compelling.
However, should strikes impose serious damage to our economic and social fabric, the pressure on us to act would ratchet up. That is something which both you, and certainly I would wish to avoid."
Now just about all of the GMB's national leadership - and a good proportion the 500 delegates - will be individual members or supporters of the Labour party.
So I doubt avuncular Vince will get much of a hearing.
In which case he's right - and the spotlight will inevitably turn on whether strikes actually enjoy majority support amongst ordinary union members - which in many cases they do not.
The unions are trying to talk up a 'Summer of Discontent' - with a day of national strike action planned for 30 June - in the public sector at least.
So Vince has a blunt message for the 500 or so delegates and will apparently tell them:
"The usual suspects will call for general strikes and widespread disruption. This will excite the usual media comments about a summer of discontent, and another group of the usual suspects will exploit the situation to call for the tightening of strike law.
We are undoubtedly entering a difficult period. Strike levels remain historically low, especially in the private sector. Assuming this pattern continues, the case for changing strike law is not compelling.
However, should strikes impose serious damage to our economic and social fabric, the pressure on us to act would ratchet up. That is something which both you, and certainly I would wish to avoid."
Now just about all of the GMB's national leadership - and a good proportion the 500 delegates - will be individual members or supporters of the Labour party.
So I doubt avuncular Vince will get much of a hearing.
In which case he's right - and the spotlight will inevitably turn on whether strikes actually enjoy majority support amongst ordinary union members - which in many cases they do not.
