BAKERS’ union general secretary Ronnie Draper ended the union’s conference in Southport yesterday with a call for solidarity with strike action due to take place on July 10.

Union members from Unison, Unite, PCS, GMB and NUT are being asked to strike on July 10 which could see two million workers walk off the job.

Anger among public-sector workers has risen since the government’s derisory pay offer of 1 per cent.

Mr Draper said his members supported the unions even if they were currently prohibited from taking secondary action.

He told the Morning Star: “I am not naive enough to believe that we are all going to man the picket lines of every strike, as laudable as that is. 

“You clearly would rarely be in work, but I do believe that target action and indeed co-ordinated action can have massive results that would concentrate the minds of those who seek to exploit.

“Nobody takes strike action as the first line of defence, but when we do we need to be able to join together in collective strength with the sole aim of reaching a positive outcome.”

Mr Draper pointed out that solidarity demonstrations and support on picket lines during the union’s now famous Hovis dispute helped tip the balance in favour of the workers.

He added: “Some employers believe they have the right to exploit and they use it to its full force. We have the right to strike and should use it to its full potential.”