Extremist Tories are holding workers to ransom

RMT boss blasts Truss union war

- GRAHAM HISCOTT

AS Tory PM rivals Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak step up their war on workers' rights, Mick Lynch last night urged downtrodden staff to rise up and take a stand.

The RMT chief accused the pair of being extremists who want to crush unions like Margaret Thatcher did in the 80s and shift the balance of power even further towards bosses.

And he hit back at claims that striking staff are holding the country to ransom, insisting they themselves are being held back by poor pay as inflation soars out of control.

Millions of workers are struggling in the cost-of-living crisis amid pay freezes and paltry rises, sparking workplace unrest across the country.

But rather than help lift people out of poverty, Truss instead vowed the biggest crackdown on trade union power since Thatcher making it much harder for staff to strike.

Lynch branded the measures "the most extreme since unions were legalised in 1871". He said: "We are at a real crossroads, with these anti-union proposals coming on the back of the misery caused by the cost of living crisis.