Attack on trade union rights by UK government follows Pinochet’s example

General Augusto Pinochet of Chile pictured in 1985. Photograph: Carlos Carrion/Corbis Sygma

The UK government assault on trade union rights (Editorial, 16 July) is an attack on democracy itself and poses a dangerous threat to income equality in this country.

I recently met the Chilean labour minister, who told me that, under its own labour reforms, Chile will be removing striker replacement rules from the statute book because they were an “unfortunate legacy” of Pinochet. Why is the Conservative party intent on following the example of Pinochet?
Philip Jennings
General secretary, UNI Global Union