A veteran trade union leader has branded Rishi Sunak a “lightweight Thatcher tribute act”.
Former TUC General Secretary John Monks has accused the Prime Minister of scapegoating key workers and threatening tighter shackles on unions to ban strikes.
Mr Monks said: “There has been a visceral hatred of trade unions in the Tory Party since Thatcher succeeded Ted Heath.”
The Labour peer spoke ahead of Wednesday’s mass strikes by train drivers, teachers, and others.
They will be co-ordinated by the TUC over the Government’s move to sack strikers unless they obey orders to cross picket lines.
Framed as a plan to maintain minimum services amid disputes, the move has even been condemned by Tory MPs.
Mr Monks, who saw ex-PM Margaret Thatcher impose law after law on unions, tore into Mr Sunak, who was helped by the TUC to devise the furlough scheme as Chancellor.
Mr Monks said: “They’re reverting to the Thatcher playbook. Sunak should know better. He knows trade unions are constructive.
“Rishi Sunak is a lightweight Thatcher tribute act. Attacking trade unions is now in the Tory DNA.
“It never used to be in the era of Harold Mamillan and Ted Heath. I remember Heath coming to a TUC party when he retired and chatting to Jack Jones.
“I don’t know if Sunak is doing this because he really believes it or is doing it as a populist, enthusing the worst Tories.
“A PM looking for answers and working in the national interest would display genuine leadership.
“They’d sit down with the representatives of workers with genuine concerns and work for a solution.
“It’s telling the Tories and the PM aren’t doing that, particularly in the NHS.”
Monks said inflation at 10.5% was hitting hardest key workers clapped by Conservatives during the pandemic.
Public sector wages are rising just over 3% which is less than half increases averaging a little over 7% in the private sector though both are falling in real terms.
“The enemies for the Conservatives are people trying to protect their living standards,” said Monks.
“Passing a law to sack workers they clapped a few years ago isn’t fair, decent or democratic.”
British workers suffer the weakest employment protection in any major European economy and trade unions are the most restricted.
The fire-and-rehire British system keeps earnings down and fuels job insecurity, gifting power to employers.
“The Conservatives want to make sure nobody can strike,” said Monks.
“Sunak is very much a Thatcher clone but banning people striking won’t work because it won’t address genuine grievances.
“Using legislation time after time has failed, as we see with these strikes, when workers have legitimate complaints – in this case pay.
“Trying to finish what Thatcher started is a sign of weakness. Public support for many of the strikes confirms the Tories are on the wrong side of these disputes.”
