UK workers won’t be ‘mugged off’ with low pay any more, says Frances O’Grady
Working people are at a turning point where they are not prepared to be “mugged off” with low pay any more, Frances O’Grady, the TUC general secretary, has said, ahead of motions at its congress on greater joint industrial action by unions this autumn.
O’Grady, who leads the organising body for trade unions, said there was an increasing number of strike ballots at the moment, and that while many end in a deal, joint action can show the strength of feeling of workers and bring disputes to an end sooner.
Unite and PCS are among the unions who have motions at the TUC congress in Brighton next week that call for greater coordination over strike action to achieve action on pay and the cost of living.
Asked about the potential for coordinated strikes in the next six months, O’Grady said: “We don’t take strike action to be ineffective. Unions are constantly discussing what is the best way, because it’s in nobody’s interest to have a prolonged dispute. It’s better for everybody if we can show the strength of feeling and that workers are joining together. That’s more likely to get the employer to the table ready to do a fair deal, whether that’s the government or private sector.”
She stressed that it was part of the TUC’s core role to facilitate coordination between unions, but that there was no motion for a “general strike” on the conference agenda as that was not the focus.
On the next six months, O’Grady warned Liz Truss not to underestimate the strength of feeling among workers who have endured pay stagnation and real terms pay cuts for years.
“I feel encouraged by the determination I see,” she said. “I think there’s a long fuse, but when it goes, it really goes. The government should not underestimate that real determination that
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