Protect the right to strike march and rally

Our workers rights are under attack again.

Join us at Montpellier Gardens, Cheltenham at 12pm on Saturday 27 January. Celebrate our history. Protest against the government. Stand up for your rights.

Forty years ago – on 25th Jan 1984 – Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government attacked trade union rights at GCHQ. Union members were told to resign their membership or be sacked. After a long campaign marked by the fortitude of the workers and their families, and the solidarity of the whole movement, they were reinstated when an incoming Labour government repealed the ban.

Today, the government has passed laws that could restrict the right to strike for over five million workers.. The right to strike is a fundamental British liberty. We must defend it at all costs.

We have won before. We will win again. Join our march and rally on 27 January.

The TUC are supporting this march and rally, which is organised by PCS South West.

Ban of trade unions at GCHQ and the union fightback

40 years ago, Margaret Thatcher’s government announced its decision to impose a total ban on trade union membership at Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). Staff were ordered to resign their membership or face dismissal – 14 refused to do so and were sacked. For more than 13 years, a small group of brave GCHQ staff and their unions campaigned for the right to belong to a union, commanding huge support throughout the labour movement. Marches regularly took place in Cheltenham – where many GCHQ staff are based – between 1984 and 1997. Their principled and sustained campaign ended in 1997, when the Labour government overturned the ban on unions. Staff at GCHQ are now members of PCS. The right to organise collectively to protect people in and out of work is a fundamental human right. Come to our event to learn from the past and celebrate the trailblazing campaign to restore workers’ rights at GCHQ.

Threats to union rights today

The fight for our union rights is not over. Last year, the Tories launched their latest move to restrict workers’ rights, introducing the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act. The law stipulates that when workers in certain sectors lawfully vote to strike, they could be forced to attend work – and sacked if they don’t comply. This undemocratic new law could curtail the right to strike for 1 in 5 workers. This is the last thing our crumbling public services or our dedicated frontline workers need – these draconian laws will poison industrial relations and drag out disputes. Ministers are punishing paramedics and rail staff for daring to stand up for decent pay and better services. But make no mistake. We won’t stand by and let workers get sacked for defending their pay and conditions. And we won’t rest until this law has been repealed. Our message is loud and clear. The entire trade union movement will rally behind any worker who loses their fundamental right to strike.

Timings and location

12pm – gather at Montpellier Gardens

12:30 – march departs through town centre to Pittville Park (approximately 1 hour walk)

13:30 – rally in Pittville Park