It seems there are now THREE Conservative parties: Bremain, Brexit and Bolshie Lords!
U-turn on plan to abolish ‘check-off’ system follows threatened rebellion in Lords and will be seen as major victory for unions:
The government is to drop a controversial proposal to change trade union funding arrangements after a threatened rebellion in the House of Lords.
Under plans included in the trade union bill all civil servants and staff in the wider public sector who belong to a union would have had to switch to direct debits or make other arrangements to pay their fees.
But a cabinet office minister admitted the government had failed to convince Tory peers to vote for the proposal and said it would be dropped from the bill.
The decision will be seen as a major victory for public sector unions which had claimed the proposal was a vindictive attack on their finances.
Tories forced to rethink trade union crackdown after Lords defeat
Critics had warned that a switch to direct debit payments would see members leave trade unions and no longer be able to access services they provided such as help with cheap loans, debt advice and legal aid.
In the report stage debate in the Lords,the cabinet office minister Lord Bridges acknowledged many Tory peers opposed the measure.
“I fear that my trying to convince you of our case may simply add grist to the mill of those who see this measure as a means of undermining trade unions themselves. This is certainly not and never has been the government’s intention,” he said. ….”
East Devon Watch 