Labour MP John McDonnell, parliamentary convenor of the Trade Union Co-ordinating Group, who also chairs the Right to Work campaign pointed out that the Unite trade union supports the Right to Work campaign financially and otherwise so rather than there being a divide between the two, there is a "coalition and an alliance".

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"We are calling on the trade union Unite and the employers involved to work together to reach an agreement that will avert industrial action, " he said.

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Mr Maude said: "We are calling on the trade union Unite and the employers involved to work together to reach an agreement that will avert industrial action, " he said.

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The PCS trade union say some members of staff are being asked to work in different locations as a result of the cuts and Mr Judge's remarks were a "clear and deliberate ridiculing of our members' anxieties".

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So I mean I'm not all certain that even if the trade union leaders instructed their members to go to work this week they would actually do so.

BBC: News Online

It is hard to see how the 11.3% of the German workforce who are out of work, measured by the latest unadjusted figures, benefit from trade-union opposition to the idea of more flexible working patterns and less rigid job protection.

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