Trade Union Rights' Publications
Equal Pay, Privatisation and Procurement
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By Margie Jaffe, Bronwyn McKenna & Liane Venner
Published in August 2008
Review: Trade Union Freedom Bill: Launch Conference
Conference Report by Gregor Gall
On Wednesday 31 January in London, some 150 trade unionists gathered together for the conference launch of the Institute of Employment Right’s latest book The Right to Strike: from the Trade Disputes Act 1906 to a Trade Union Freedom Bill 2006
The book is the intellectual and ideological ballast to support the move to provide unions with the ability to lawfully and effectively protect their members’ interests through collective mobilisation.
It means overturning both the Tories’ past legal legacy and Labour’s present regulations on industrial action through a redistribution of power.
A range of high-level speakers argued a convincing and stimulating case.
Federation News: The Right to Strike: A Summary
Executive Editors Keith Ewing and Carolyn Jones
Published in May 2007
The last edition of Federation News contained a series of articles from trade union General Secretaries outlining why they believe the time is right for a Trade Union Rights and Freedoms Bill. This edition takes up the same theme with a selection of essays from legal and academic experts highlighting the historical, legal and political arguments for a Bill.
Federation News: The need for a Trade Union Freedom Bill
Executive Editors Keith Ewing and Carolyn Jones
Published in October 2006
To celebrate the centenary of the introduction of the Trade Disputes Act 1906, this edition of Federation News is dedicated to the 2006 campaign for a new Trade Union Freedom Bill. Six general secretaries of unions representing nearly 4 million workers, outline why they believe restrictive trade union laws should be replaced by positive trade union freedoms.
The Trade Disputes Act 1906
By Jim Mortimer
Published in April 2005
The 1906 Trade Disputes Act was a watershed in trade union history. It came at a time when trade unions were under attack from employers and the courts and when previously gained rights were being lost.
The Act provided a statutory right to peaceful picketing and repealed the precedent set by the Taff Vale railwaymen case, (1900) which made trade unions liable for damages caused during a strike. It also restored the principle of immunity against ‘civil conspiracy’ – a legal concept used to prevent workers taking collective action.
In short the 1906 Act put the sting back in the tail of the labour movement. As Jim Mortimer says the Act was both a landmark and an achievement in the history of British trade unionism and compares very favourably with what exists today.This website relies on the use of cookies to function correctly. We understand your continued use of the site as agreement to this.