The TUC came under pressure today to call a 24-hour general strike against the coalition government's all-out assault on workers and future generations "before it's too late." Communication Workers Union delegates in Bournemouth unanimously passed a motion urging the union organisation to mobilise for a general strike against the "ideological" spending cuts even as thousands of postal workers across London voted to go on strike in protest at job losses and mail centre closures.
Senior deputy general secretary Tony Kearns said the national executive committee had decided to unanimously back the motion "because we believe it's time for us to make up our mind."
He said unions should not be deterred from exercising their basic right to take collective action because of "legal implications" when workers in countries such as Colombia were being imprisoned, tortured and murdered for asserting that very right.
"If we don't take action now, there will be nothing left to fight for," eastern regional secretary Paul Moffat told delegates, who represent more than 200,000 members.
"We answered the TUC call to march for the alternative on March 26," he said, suggesting that the TUC now must defy the anti-union laws and answer the call for collective action.
Delegates condemned 13 years of Labour failure to reverse Margaret Thatcher's anti-union laws banning solidarity action and general strikes.
Midlands regional secretary Lee Barron said he was breaking the law every time he sent out letters to branch members informing them of other unions' strikes to ensure that no-one crossed picket lines.
"We'd rather break the law than break a picket," he said to cheers.
Mr Barron, who grew up in the 1980s, added: "Thatcher stole my milk, but this government is stealing my child's future. If that's not worth fighting for, I don't know what is."
Manchester clerical delegate Mark Taggart said: "The right to take collective action exists in virtually every civilised country in the world except for Britain and the US.
"We need to enshrine this right in UK law - that's my message to Ed Balls."
The shadow chancellor had addressed the conference earlier, raising eyebrows when he praised the TUC March for the Alternative in the same breath as he argued for slower cuts.
Bristol and district AMAL speaker Rob Wotherspoon dismissed Mr Balls's argument, saying: "The alternative is not slower cuts but to oppose all cuts."
Mr Wotherspoon also denounced the Con-Dem mantra that "we're all in this together," highlighting recent statistics showing that the richest 1,000 people in Britain had increased their wealth by 18 per cent in the past year.
“Without a general strike we will not be able to beat back the Tories,” he added.
South central delegate Paul Garraway added: “We marched on March 26 in unity — now it’s time to fight in unity.”
Mass industrial action is already on the cards, with hundreds of thousands of public-sector workers expected to take co-ordinated action over pensions on June 30.
UCU members have already taken part in a series of one-day walkouts at various universities, with union officials warning that more serious action may be needed.
And thousands of council workers will take industrial action this week, including strikes, in a dispute over terms and conditions, hitting refuse collection, street cleaning and other services.
