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FOOD workers demanded yesterday the legal right for trade unionists to take lightning strike action without having to ballot members.
Moved by the Hovis Wigan 417 branch, which was involved a bitter dispute with bosses last year over the imposition of zero-hours contracts, BFAWU delegates cheered as speakers called for a return to militant trade unionism.
Seconding the motion, 417 branch delegate Andy Moorhouse lamented “the amount of times management have done things that could have generated a strike.
“Having to give notice to members, by the time that is all done, the issue can be dead.
“We need the ability to strike while the issue is hot.”
Greggs 580 delegate Sarah Woolley said: “We will never get a general strike until we repeal the Trade Union Act 1984.”
Giving the union executive’s full support to the motion, general secretary Ronnie Draper said: “The easiest thing to do is to pass the motion. I would like to see secondary action re-introduced. It is illegal at present and (the Act) should be repealed.”
Mr Draper also criticised the TUC leadership for failing to follow through on the issue,
“The TUC will make the right noises but to carry out anything a bit radical or slightly to the left, it gets short shrift.
“Don’t sit on your hands when you go back to your branches,” Mr Draper urged delegates.
“We need workers to rise like lions from the slumber to fight back.”