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Bill: Trade Union Accord Bill
Details
Submitted by[?]: Green Workers Party
Status[?]: defeated
Votes: This is an ordinary bill. It requires more yes votes than no votes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: January 2297
Description[?]:
For too long, Lusitanian workers have been slaving longer and harder for wages that either been frozen or reduced. Family life has been increasingly affected by standards of work that work make a 19th Century poor-house look desirable, while any workers' protests at their appalling conditions have been met with brutal force and imprisonment. We propose a restoration of the legitimate rights of trade unions to function as the representatives of workers, and for such authority be codified, and recognised by the state. Article 1: How can workers defend their interests if by not withdrawing the one power they have - their labour power? We all know that reasoning, and politely asking for wage rises or improved conditions doesn't work - it only leads to a boot in the face or worse. Employers and unions need to be forced by common interest into a formal arbitration process to solve disputes. The threat of sacking must be removed to ensure this happens. Article 2: Obviously, the law must be re-written to recognise freedom of association for workers as legal and just. Article 3: The right to strike in sympathy is important, as it ensures that smaller and weaker groups of workers get the public attention they need for their cause. Imagine if a company is determined to run down the wages and conditions of a group of cleaners. Should not the public servants in the building support their cause, or merely other weak, small groups of cleaners? Solidarity strikes should be allowed as a legal right to defend workers' rights. Article 4: The right to strike should be enshrined in law, but certain professions (such as police, nurses, ambulance officers and other critical jobs) should be required to maintain a skeleton staff in the public interest. However, we maintain that such workers should be allowed the right to strike, or otherwise their important role will be used as a blackmail to prevent them defending their work rights. Article 5: If a majority of workers gather and vote to go on strike, then it should be recognised! Plenty of organisations, and political parties, are run with only a certain part of their force participating in every meeting or action. Let not the apathy of a few members prevent the approved decision to strike by a group of workers. |
Proposals
Article 1
Proposal[?] to change Employer's rights in regards to firing striking workers.
Old value:: Employers are free to fire workers who go on strike.
Current: Employers are free to fire workers who go on strike.
Proposed: Government approval is needed before strikers can be fired.
Article 2
Proposal[?] to change Government policy towards labor unions.
Old value:: Trade unions are illegal.
Current: Trade unions may exist and worker membership is voluntary.
Proposed: Trade unions may exist and worker membership is voluntary.
Article 3
Proposal[?] to change Secondary strike action.
Old value:: Secondary strike action is illegal. Workers and unions can only go on strike for their own pay and conditions.
Current: Any trade union can go on a sympathy strike in support of other striking workers.
Proposed: Only closely related trade unions can walk out on a sympathy strike in support of other striking workers.
Article 4
Proposal[?] to change The workers' right to strike.
Old value:: All strikes are illegal.
Current: All workers have the right to strike but certain categories of workers regarded as critical to society have to ensure a minimal service.
Proposed: All workers have the right to strike but certain categories of workers regarded as critical to society have to ensure a minimal service.
Article 5
Proposal[?] to change Trade union strike ballots.
Old value:: Trade unions must by law hold a ballot of all members before going on strike, a majority of all members, regardless of if they vote or not must approve the strike action.
Current: Trade unions must by law hold a ballot of all members before going on strike, a majority of all members, regardless of if they vote or not must approve the strike action.
Proposed: Trade unions are not required by law to hold a ballot before striking.
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
Date | 12:54:23, October 09, 2006 CET | From | Libertarian Party | To | Debating the Trade Union Accord Bill |
Message | Totally against. |
Date | 17:56:47, October 09, 2006 CET | From | Social Liberal Party | To | Debating the Trade Union Accord Bill |
Message | I am opposed to union rights and I feel that outlawing them as the Popular Party has is simply brutal and these rights must be restored. Article 1: The Social Liberal Party in it's centrist view, believes that the right to strike is an essential part of a healthy and sustainable worker-employer relationship. However we feel it would be best to change the law to: "Employers can fire workers who are deemed to have gone on strike without reasonable reasons." This way we are able to preserve the right to strike while allowing the employers to fire those take excess advantage of union rights on the spot. Article 2: Agreed. Article 3: I disagree with the principle of the sympathy strike, but I don't think it should illegal. I would support changing it to "Only closely related trade unions can walk out on a sympathy strike in support of other striking workers" Article 4: Agree completely. Article 5: I am not necessarily opposed, however I feel it may be overly restrictive to unions and would prefer a system based on individual workers rights. In other words: "Trade Unions are not required by law to hold a ballot before striking." |
Date | 18:09:16, October 09, 2006 CET | From | Social Liberal Party | To | Debating the Trade Union Accord Bill |
Message | As a correction to my last post in the first line where It reads: "I am opposed to union rights" It should read.... "I am NOT opposed to union rights" Obviously. |
Date | 00:31:05, October 10, 2006 CET | From | Green Workers Party | To | Debating the Trade Union Accord Bill |
Message | Agreed. We shall amend the legislation as such. |
Date | 00:36:19, October 10, 2006 CET | From | Social Liberal Party | To | Debating the Trade Union Accord Bill |
Message | Outstanding. Bring on the vote. |
Date | 01:15:52, October 10, 2006 CET | From | Libertarian Party | To | Debating the Trade Union Accord Bill |
Message | We can't believe that the Social Liberal Party approves a Law that makes Government approval compulsory before workers can be fired. This is TOTALITARIAN far left-wing politics! |
Date | 01:19:33, October 10, 2006 CET | From | Libertarian Party | To | Debating the Trade Union Accord Bill |
Message | The Social Liberal Party is a FRAUD. It even opposes, by passing this bill, SOCIAL LIBERAL principles. |
Date | 01:27:23, October 10, 2006 CET | From | Social Liberal Party | To | Debating the Trade Union Accord Bill |
Message | Wait a minute here. Hold on to your anger LP. Article one is not what the SLP had asked for. As a matter of fact is likely the worst possible options and we thank the LP for bringing this to our attention. We had asked to negotiate the article into: "Employers can fire workers who are deemed to have gone on strike without reasonable reasons." The SLP cannot possibly accept article 1 as it is. |
Date | 01:33:04, October 10, 2006 CET | From | Libertarian Party | To | Debating the Trade Union Accord Bill |
Message | The LP apologises the SLP for its angry reaction. We are glad to see that the SLP has rectified its position. |
Date | 01:42:54, October 10, 2006 CET | From | Social Liberal Party | To | Debating the Trade Union Accord Bill |
Message | It quite alright. Part of the game. |
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Voting
Vote | Seats | ||
yes |
Total Seats: 77 | ||
no |
Total Seats: 111 | ||
abstain |
Total Seats: 0 |
Random fact: Unless otherwise stated, monarchs and their royal houses will be presumed to be owned by the player who introduced the bill appointing them to their position. |
Random quote: "Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn't commit." - Eli Khamarov |