GCHQ rally 40 years on from trade union ban

Forty years ago Thatcher's government banned GCHQ staff from being members of trade unions.

Today thousands of trade unionist will be rallying in Cheltenham, protecting their rights to strike.

In 1984 union members were told to resign their membership or be sacked. After a long campaign they were reinstated when an incoming Labour government repealed the ban, 13 years later.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) believe the being part of a trade union is a human right.

Paul Nowak, from the TUC, said: "It was a ban that saw people lose their jobs and livelihoods.

"Having an independent voice is essentially, people who are in unions are more likely to be paid better, to have better access to pensions, and to work in more equal workplaces.

"I think unions have a positive impact in the workplace but on the economy as a whole as well."

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