The congress of the GMB union, Britain’s third largest, has resolved to renew the union’s campaigning against legal restrictions on workers’ right to organise and strike, after congress passed a composite motion from branches in Glasgow and Southampton.
The motion noted the policy passed in 2021 on the same issue, and called for further action to enact it.
This Congress notes and re-affirms:
• Policy adopted at the 2021 Congress to “campaign against the introduction of new anti-union laws and to campaign for the scrapping of all anti-union laws” and to “campaign for a comprehensive charter of workers’ rights to be put on the statute book”.
• The specific proposals for such campaigning contained in the motion passed at the 2021 Congress (production of GMB campaigning material, coverage of campaign in GMB publications, lobbying MPs, calling on MPs to support strikes in their constituencies, joint campaigning with other unions.)
Congress further notes that a number of unions have recently adopted policy advocating a national trade union demonstrations against the anti-union laws, and that the last TUC congress adopted policy in favour of a national rally against the anti-union laws.
In order to progress existing policy, Congress therefore instructs the Central Executive Council to:
• Support a national demonstration against the anti-union laws and approach other unions with the same policy, with a view to holding such a demonstration.
• Promote closer working with other unions and campaigns which share the policy of scrapping all anti-union laws.
• Pursue implementation of the proposals contained in the motion passed by the 2021 Congress.
• Present a report to the 2023 Congress on campaigning undertaken by the GMB against anti-union laws.
Free Our Unions 