Can unions be outlawed?

[Bitter Ashes]

During me and Faceless' surveys today we came across two workers who have told us that they are forbidden to join, or form, a union. I was more than a little stunned by this response and I'm convinced it's illegal, not only under British employment law, but also via the European court of human rights regarding freedom of association.

Faceless suggested that maybe employers are writing into thier employment contracts that workers are forbidden to join a union and by doing so, they would be breaking thier contract and liable to be sacked.

So, I guess I need some clarifcation here. Which takes legal precedance; the employment contract, or the employment laws and/or EU human rights act?

[rednordman]

Another triumph of individualism me thinks:rolleyes:. People nowadays are being seen as isolated entities in every sector of life. Therefor a workforce is no longer a workforce but a group of individuals competing against eachother to keep their jobs. If there is to be any actual philosophy underlying a ban on unions in the modern day, it would be based on that. As you have probably already noticed, this has already happened in many areas. So the types of unions you get today, can only really defend individuals in tribunials, and not really organised groups of labour and workforces. They can try but it tends to be with very little progress. Thank you Mrs Thatcher (sarcasm).

[StalinFanboy]

I could be totally wrong, but I believe there are some jobs that aren't allowed to be unionized.

[h0m0revolutionary]

I could be totally wrong, but I believe there are some jobs that aren't allowed to be unionized.

Half correct.

Here in the UK there are several professions, Police being one of them where they can't strike. It isn't strictly illegal, it just means if they do they have violated their contract, as their profession contract signs away their right to protest. In place of unions they have things such as 'pay regulatory committtees' and such to ensure their job goes as smoothly as possible.

Of course if they did have the power to strike it could cause trouble for the ruling class, as their repressive state apparatus are too busy to defend them.

.. Not that i'd argue the case for giving the police the right to strike - not until they get proper jobs anyway :D

[brigadista]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7927487.stm
union blacklisting

http://www.workersliberty.org/node/2229

article on legislation limiting union powers