THE launch today of Labour's long-awaited radical White Paper on trade union rights will be marred by deep divisions among trade union leaders over proposed recognition procedures, writes Roy Rogers, Industry Correspondent.
Although much in favour of the broad thrust of Fairness at Work, due to be cleared by the Cabinet and published today, union leaders yesterday split over the Government's insistence on a 40% Yes vote before union recognition will be imposed, and the exemption of companies with fewer than 20 staff from the proposed legislation.
The TUC executive yesterday reflected these divisions by recommending the TUC's ruling general council to accept the White Paper, which includes a list of improved employment measures, while continuing to campaign against both areas of dispute.
The proponents of the White Paper at yesterday's heated executive meeting were led by Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union general secretary Ken Jackson, who said the debating was over and the unions should now concentrate on making it work.
Opposition was led by his counterparts in the Transport and General Union, Mr Bill Morris, and the GMB, Mr John Edmonds, who accused Mr Jackson of splitting the movement by endorsing the White Paper with the 40% threshold.
Mr Edmonds described such a threshold as ''a bad decision, and had still to be justified'', especially when major constitutional decisions on Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and London were being decided by simple majorities.
TUC general secretary John Monks, meanwhile, is understood to favour welcoming the White Paper, using its many good aspects and seeking to reopen the threshold issue under an option to review after two years should it prove unworkable - as some union leaders maintain it will.
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