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Union leader dismisses strike threat

UNION leader Derek Simpson yesterday played down the prospect of widespread strike action by unions this autumn.

Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show, the joint general secretary of Unite said the union would instead try to educate people about the impact of big cuts in public spending.

The government is expected to announce details of massive spending cuts on 20 October, following a spending review.

Other unions have called for a “national day of action” in protest.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union and the RMT, led by Bob Crow, have been among those calling for co-ordinated strike action in response to the cuts.

But talk of an “autumn of discontent” would only help the government by deflecting attention away from the spending cuts and their impact, Mr Simpson said.

“Here we’ve got cuts that are going to affect women much more than men, poor people much more than richer people,” he said.

“We are going to try and educate our members and people generally about what’s really happening.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .