With the election of a hard-right Tory government promising new restrictions on the right to strike, it is more urgent than ever that the entire labour movement unites to resist anti-union laws.
Free Our Unions was initiated by The Clarion magazine and Lambeth Unison. It is now backed by dozens of unions branches, committees, and local Labour Parties. Four national trade unions – IWGB, FBU, RMT, and PCS – have supported the campaign via their Annual General Meetings and/or National Executive Committees. It was initially established to promote and amplify policies passed at Labour Party conferences calling for the abolition of all anti-union laws, not only the most recent, and to demand Labour fight for this policy in opposition and commit to enacting it in government. (For more background to the campaign, click here.)
Free Our Unions now plans renewed campaigning against the Tories’ proposed new laws, and is calling for united and coordinated activity between existing campaign groups currently active on these issues.
Protest on 10 October: Stop Truss’s new anti-union laws!
5:30, Monday 10 October
Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), 1 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0ET.
Free Our Unions fringe meeting at Labour Party conference: 26 September, 7:30pm
Free Our Unions is hosting a fringe meeting at the upcoming Labour Party conference. The meeting will take place from 7:30-9pm at The Liverpool pub, 14 James St, Liverpool L2 7PQ.
The call must go out: organise against new anti-strike threats
The following article, written by Free Our Unions co-organiser Daniel Randall, was published in Scottish Left Review, and can be read online here.
POSTPONED: Free Our Unions fringe meeting at TUC Congress: Tuesday 13 September, 6pm
Following the postponement of TUC congress, we have postponed our planned fringe meeting.
Next organising meeting: 7pm, 7 September
Free Our Unions will meet regularly throughout August and September to discuss and plan activity to resist threats of new anti-union laws, and build campaigning against existing ones.
New briefing on threatened new anti-strike laws
We’ve produced a briefing for trade union activists on Liz Truss’s plans for new anti-strike laws. Please download, print, and circulate in your workplace. The briefing is also available in booklet form here.
Grant Shapps’ 16-point plan to restrict strikes
Tory Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced a 16-point plan to further restrict strikes.
New video: a two-minute guide to Liz Truss’s anti-strike plans
We’ve produced this short video to give you a two-minute guide to prospective prime minister Liz Truss’s plans for new anti-strike laws.
MODEL MOTION: Organise against Truss’s anti-strike threats
We encourage supporters to pass this model motion in their union branches.
Starmer vs. workers’ struggle
By a Free Our Unions supporter With good reason, hundreds of thousands of labour movement activists feel contempt for Keir Starmer and little inclination to treat his pronouncements seriously. Nonetheless, it is an unfortunate fact that Starmer leads the only substantial political party based on the UK’s labour movement. When he uses pro-worker rhetoric –Continue reading “Starmer vs. workers’ struggle”
A general strike against anti-union laws?
This is a discussion article written by a Free Our Unions supporter, in a personal capacity. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has suggested a general strike in response to Liz Truss’ threat of new anti-union laws. While the militant spirit is good, this does not bring much clarity about what we need to do. InContinue reading “A general strike against anti-union laws?”
Organising meeting: 7pm, Wednesday 3 August
With the next Prime Minister highly likely to introduce severe new restrictions on the right to strike, the labour movement must organise to resist. Free Our Unions will be holding an open organising meeting on Wednesday 3 August at 7pm, to discuss what activity we can organise directly, and how to work with, and within,Continue reading “Organising meeting: 7pm, Wednesday 3 August”
Organise against new anti-strike threats
Prospective Prime Minister Liz Truss has announced a raft of new anti-strike laws she plans to introduce if elected. These include: • Action within thirty days of taking office to introduce the “minimum service requirement” outlawing all-out strikes in certain sectors that the Tories pledged in their 2019 manifesto for transport – but extended toContinue reading “Organise against new anti-strike threats”
Honour the Pentonville Five? Then fight to scrap all anti-union laws!
This is a discussion article, written by a supporter of Free Our Unions 150 people packed into the eve-of-Durham Miners’ Gala rally held by the Institute of Employment Rights (IER) think tank on 8 July. It was hung on the hook of the mass action that freed the “Pentonville Five” fifty years ago this month,Continue reading “Honour the Pentonville Five? Then fight to scrap all anti-union laws!”
Free Our Unions 