But more than that, unions face the near-decommissioning of the nuclear option in their arsenal of weapons to be used in trade disputes – their right to strike. The government intends on tightening the rules around balloting for strike action by imposing a minimum turnout threshold.
Amid this are rumblings of a return to the old clashes between the right and left, with unions working together in opposition to what they argue are unfair and unnecessary cuts as well as an all-out assault on the rights of working people to organise demonstrations against the bosses.