'Our own politicians have failed the unions'

He told the Wales TUC conference that, despite 13 years in office, the Labour government had failed to "repeal Thatcherism's laws to make trade unionism ineffective."

This failure meant Britain still had the worst labour laws in Europe and he asked how that could be, how a country that had helped to bring freedom to occupied Europe 65 years ago did not enjoy trade union freedoms today.

Mr McCluskey recalled the recent death of a 21-year-old Polish worker at the Olympic site in London.

The young man had fallen into an unprotected water-filled trench and drowned, but the firm had been fined just £750.

"Until such time as bosses are jailed for negligence, these tragedies will continue," he declared.

Highlighting the "bizarre" anti-union judgements of courts in Britain and the European Union, he insisted the legal elite would always defend the interests of their class.

"Solidarity is a virtue not a sin. Only organised labour has the power to defend jobs, services and communities," he said, stressing that now was not the time to batten down the hatches but to rise like lions.

Owen Herbert of rail union RMT explained his union's decision to take the British government to the European Court of Human Rights over anti-union legislation.

He said the legal shackles around working people seeking to take industrial action were being continually tightened.

Ken Smith of journalists' union NUJ addressed the case of Johnston Press, which was imposing job cuts, compulsory redundancies and a pay freeze.

The company had successfully thwarted legal industrial action by telling the High Court that it employed no journalists, having hived off employment to subsidiary entities.

Nick Ireland of shopworkers' union Usdaw welcomed recent legislation on agency workers and blacklisting.

But he also emphasised its shortcomings and urged vigilance towards loopholes that could be exploited by unscrupulous employers.

Terry Renshaw of construction union Ucatt said 53 workers had lost their lives in his industry last year, while the Con-Dem coalition was threatening the powers of the Health and Safety Executive.