‘Secret plan’ to counter general strikes in UK

By IRNA,

London : A secret ‘war plan’ to counter a general strike has been drawn up by British ministers, with thousands of union-busting workers lined up to cross militant picket lines, a right-wing daily reported Tuesday.

According to the Daily Mail, a unit has been set up in the Cabinet Office to prevent Britain grinding to a standstill in the event of mass public sector walkouts in protest against government public service cuts.

Union leaders met in London last month to discuss a 'broad strike movement' against the government’s cuts programme. Len McCluskey, leader of Britain’s largest trade union, Unite, has warned of a “battle” over the 'unprecedented assault' on the welfare state.

As early as last September, the president of the Police Superintendents' Association Superintendent Derek Barnett said that government cuts on public spending could lead to protests and social disorder in Britain.

The Daily Mail reported that officials have already conducted ‘war games’ to ensure that strike breakers are available to run vital facilities such as London’s Tube and energy hotspots such as power stations.

“Transport managers and prison bosses have been ordered to organise agency workers and teams of managers to cross picket lines amid fears of a nationwide summer of industrial action,” it said.

The unit, run by Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude, is understood to have analysed the workforce at thousands of prisons, schools, hospitals, railway stations, bus depots and energy facilities to work out “where the most militant union staff are based.”

“The plans, drawn up in utmost secrecy, are the coalition’s attempt to emulate Margaret Thatcher’s preparations ahead of the miners’ strike in 1984,” the paper said in reference to the last major enduring industrial action to hit Britain.