2 May 2014

As workers celebrated May Day on the streets of London, led by a huge contingency of RMT members paying tribute to their outstanding leader Bob Crow, Boris Johnson revealed that a future Tory government would introduce further restrictions on trade unions “on day one” of taking power.

The mayor, elected by just 16.8 per cent of the city’s voters, said Mr Cameron has now agreed to impose a strike ban where less than half of a total workforce turns out to vote for it. It’s not a new idea. Tories on the GLA have been calling for such a ban since their spokesman for Transport published a report called Struck Out in 2013. In January 2014 IER reported similar scare stories from Boris.

Is this a vote winning strategy? Attacking trade unions on the front line of defending services is about as popular as Mr Johnson’s plans for the London tube. Boris would do better to listen to the concerns of those he allegedly represents. Respected pollsters Survation revealed that a mere one in four Londoners believed TfL claims that its “modernisation” plans (ticket office closures and job cuts) would improve passengers’ experience. Half felt the closures would actively damage it. Boris, like his leader, is out of touch and far removed from the fears of those he fails to represent.