RMT’s Eddie Dempsey vows to fight attempts to ‘vilify’ workers as poll shows rise in support for Reform among union members
He said the transport union will "oppose anyone who attempts to ban strike action or threatens and vilifies our members"
The general secretary of RMT has warned that his union will oppose any attempt by Reform UK to restrict strike action or “vilify” its members.
Eddie Dempsey’s intervention comes as a poll published earlier this week revealed that trade unions members are now as likely to support Reform as Labour.
The JL Partners poll for The Times found that support for the two parties was tied at 28% among union members, representing a 20-point drop in support for Labour since 2024.
Reform has pledged to scrap Labour’s Employment Rights Act 2025, which gives workers rights to day-one sick pay and bans most fire and rehire practices.
The legislation also protects workers from unfair dismissal after six months in a job.
Responding to the rise in support for Reform among union members, Dempsey pointed out that “Reform wants to scrap key employment protections and further restrict workers’ ability to take industrial action.”
He also noted that during the national rail dispute between 2022 and 2024, Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice said that “the best way to deal with striking transport workers” was to “sack them!”.
Amid the threat that Reform poses to workers’ rights, the RMT general secretary said: “Our union has a proud history of standing up to defend jobs, pay, conditions and trade union rights, regardless of which political party is in government.”
He added that the transport union “will oppose anyone who attempts to ban strike action or threatens and vilifies our members, through a programme of mass strike action and peaceful civil disobedience if necessary”.
Asked what the Labour government needs to do to combat Reform’s rise, he said the party must “strengthen workers’ rights, rebuild the country’s crumbling infrastructure and rebalance the economy away from serving the financial industry”.
He also said Labour needs to invest in manufacturing, building houses and giving people meaningful work.
Dempsey added that RMT members want Great British Railways to become “a major success”, and also want outsourcing to be ended and assaults on the transport network to be tackled.
Commenting on the prospect of a potential Labour leadership election, which is expected to be triggered if Andy Burnham wins the Makerfield by-election on 18 June, Dempsey said “Whoever leads Labour has to stop being a hostage to the markets and set out a programme that will bring fundamental change to this country.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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