Cameron fury as strikes planned for Olympics

10:32am UK, Wednesday February 29, 2012

Jon Craig, chief political correspondent

Top Tories have condemned a call by the leader of Britain's biggest trade union for strikes and "civil disobedience" during the London Olympics.
Len McCluskey, leader of Unite, said workers should consider using strike action to disrupt the Games as part of their campaign against the Government's spending cuts.



The left-wing union leader told the Guardian attacks on public sector workers were "so deep and ideological" that targeting the Games would be justified.

"If the Olympics provide us with an opportunity, then that's exactly one that we should be looking at," he said.

"The attacks that are being launched on public sector workers at the moment are so deep and ideological that the idea the world should arrive in London and have these wonderful Olympic Games as though everything is nice and rosy in the garden is unthinkable.

"Our very way of life is being attacked. By then this crazy health and social care bill may have been passed, so we are looking at the privatisation of our National Health Service.

"I believe the unions, and the general community, have got every right to be out protesting."

Mr McCluskey said that, because of the seriousness of the issues at stake, he was encouraging the public to engage in "all forms of civil disobedience within the law" in the campaign against cuts.

Condemning the Unite boss, Conservative Party co-chairman Sayeeda Warsi said: "This is an appalling display of naked self-interest by Labour's biggest financial backer.




"The London Olympics will be a great occasion for this country. It is disgraceful for a trade union boss to be calling for mass disruption when the eyes of the world will be on Britain.

"I am shocked that Unite would sink so low as to spoil this great national event for everyone else.

"Ed Miliband must urgently order his union cronies to rule out disrupting the Olympics."



baroness warsi: McCluskey's comments are disgusting

A senior Unite official told Sky News Mr McCluskey was not calling for industrial action specifically targeting the Olympics.

"There's no deliberate plan to disrupt the Olympics," she said. "But our members are feeling particularly aggrieved.

"Our members in London Transport are facing extra shifts and extra hours during the Olympics."

Bus drivers are calling for a £500 Olympics bonus to match that offered to Tube drivers, but talks have broken down and there could be industrial action as a result, the official said.


I think this is disgusting and hope there is a ballot for any strike action and decent Members will vote against any disruption of the Olympic Games.

Bus drivers want £500 bonus, what for. They will be paid for doing their job. My brother is a police officer in North Yorkshire as is his wife. They have been told that they cannot have any holidays during July and August ( which is also the peak time for the school holidays). He asked for 2 weeks off in June and was told that he couldn't have them as the Olympic torch was going to be passing through York. He doesn't even work in York so why should this affect him. I don't hold with strikes and civil disobedience but this Government don't seem to be in tune with the common people. They have no idea of the hardships which their plans are having. I know the deficit had to be sorted out but there are ways of going about it.

PERHAPS OFF TOPIC ONE THING CAMERON COULD DO IS ENCOURAGE THE UNEMPLOYED TO SET UP THEIR OWN BUSINESSES/ECOMMERCE WEBSITES ETC.
ENCOURAGE EMPLOYERS TO TREAT THEIR EMPLOYEES FAIRLY.

The Bosses of UNITE are very militant, but if they go ahead with this, they will feel the wrath of the Public.....it is a bl***y disgrace that the Olympics
can be so disrupted while the Visitors and British population will be relying on Transport. What a picture we will paint to the World!!!! Never mind the
Union Bosses, let's hope the Drivers and conducrors of London Transport will have more pride in their Country .

I think they are quite right. I have zero interest in the Olympics. It will be of no benefit whatsoever to those outside of London, and we can't afford it anyway. We seem to have enough money to squander on this spectacle (remember Greece did it in 2004, they were warned at the time that they couldn't afford it, and we all saw how THAT turned out); we give money to terrorists like Somalia and twisters like MPs with second homes. Why can't we give a DECENT pension to people who have worked hard all of their lives, often for very poor wages anyway, and so have probably not had much opportunity to save up for an old age. I left the teaching profession after 20 years and my pension is currently worth about £7000. I will have to wait until I am 65 to get it and it will have been reduced to about £5000 by then under the current proposals. Gold plated, I don't think so. And cleaners, care workers etc will be much worse off than me. Why should Cameron's precious Olympics be some sort of sacred cow? I am a txpayer, it's my money paying for it, and I have a right to say where it's spent. And I'd rather give some dignity to loyal workers in their old age than pay for the Olympics.

OT but WTF is that "mascot" supposed to be anyway, it looks like a walking penis. Apt, I suppose, 'cos we are all getting shafted.

They wouldnt dare go on strike .Its just a bunch of sabre rattling and their making fools of themselves.

p.s. I like the walking penis,i've been trying to think of a name for that ridiculous thing..............

Iris wrote:I think they are quite right. I have zero interest in the Olympics. It will be of no benefit whatsoever to those outside of London, and we can't afford it anyway. We seem to have enough money to squander on this spectacle (remember Greece did it in 2004, they were warned at the time that they couldn't afford it, and we all saw how THAT turned out); we give money to terrorists like Somalia and twisters like MPs with second homes. Why can't we give a DECENT pension to people who have worked hard all of their lives, often for very poor wages anyway, and so have probably not had much opportunity to save up for an old age. I left the teaching profession after 20 years and my pension is currently worth about £7000. I will have to wait until I am 65 to get it and it will have been reduced to about £5000 by then under the current proposals. Gold plated, I don't think so. And cleaners, care workers etc will be much worse off than me. Why should Cameron's precious Olympics be some sort of sacred cow? I am a txpayer, it's my money paying for it, and I have a right to say where it's spent. And I'd rather give some dignity to loyal workers in their old age than pay for the Olympics.

OT but WTF is that "mascot" supposed to be anyway, it looks like a walking penis. Apt, I suppose, 'cos we are all getting shafted.

I agree Iris, and the cost keeps mounting another £9 million over budget. In fact , the only Country ever to make a profit was the U.S.A.. Having said that, best to make the most of it . It is a cynical selfish move by Unite and Britain already , after the riots last year , are not well respected by Foreigners, do we have to ruin their visit to Britain after they have paid a helleva lot of money to enjoy the occasion ???? We need the money Tourism brings but this kind of behaviour might turn them off coming back, we all know Tube travel is a nightmare.