THE controversial Trade Union Bill can be defeated through “militant mass campaigning” both in and outside the UK parliament, insist Clydebank activists.

Workers, activists and politicians from across the political spectrum came together at a recent rally in the town and stood united against a bill that will make it much more difficult to take industrial action.

The bill demands a minimum 50 per cent turnout in strike ballots and when industrial action is taken employers will be legally entitled to employ agency staff to fill the void.

Currently unions can strike when 50 per cent of those taking part in the ballot vote in favour of it. Dubbing the proposed changes an attempt to “crush” the trade union movement, activists say they will fight the issue till the end.

Trade union leaders, politicians, and members of the public attended a recent rally in The Hub, Clydebank, where they all pledged to do battle with the Tories on this issue.

Tom Morrison, leader of the West Dunbartonshire branch of Unison, said the day of action in Clydebank sent a clear message to the Conservatives that the bill would not be accepted here.

He said: “Although the bill is quite far down the road in terms of becoming law, imposing it could be difficult for the Tories. “The NHS might say we are not imposing this, councils have said they are not imposing it, so maybe we could carry on as we are the moment. They cannot jail us all.”

The right to strike was held up by the representatives of UK-wide unions who attended the rally, as well as politicians such as Jackie Baillie MSP and Gil Paterson MSP.

Collectively, along with members of the public, they passed a motion which stated: “The organised working class, through the trade union movement, represents the biggest single obstacle to the Tories political project of austerity which seeks to transfer wealth from ordinary workers to the super rich. Because of this, destroying the trade unions is central to ruling class strategy. “Britain already has some of the most repressive anti union laws in Europe with the effect that the days lost through industrial action are dwarfed by the days lost by industrial accidents and work related ill health.

“The current laws already limit the ability of trade unions to protect and defend their existing members’ pay and conditions yet the case for union membership has never been stronger. In 2014 unionised workers were on average £4,000 better off than those not in a union.

“This meeting agrees the Tories Trade Union Bill can be defeated through militant mass campaigning both within and outside parliament.” Clydebank MSP Gil Paterson described the bill as “bullying” from Westminster.

He said: “If this Bill goes through it will be a disaster for industrial relations. Creating a divide between workers and management benefits no-one.

“It is clearly an attack on workers’ rights and typical of the Tories to try to implement it. I oppose it at every level as in Scotland we value workers’ rights which are the foundation of any civilised society.

“It’s another example of Westminster bullying and must not be allowed to happen.” The Trade Union Bill has already passed the second reading in the House of Commons — the key test of whether legislation is likely to get through a vote of MPs.

But it still has to go through a lengthy stage of line-by-line scrutiny in committee and also needs to be passed by the House of Lords before getting its final Commons approval.

Conservative MP Sajid Javid, UK secretary of state for business, said the bill would make trade unions more democratic and accountable. He argued that it would put power in the hands of the mass membership, protect the rights of non-union members and reassure hard-working people who are hit hardest by industrial action.