Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude to crack down on strikes - The Sun

MINISTERS last night unveiled a crackdown on militants who plot strikes at public expense.

Civil servants will be banned from spending more than half their paid time on union work. They will be refused paid days off to attend Leftie conferences agitating for strike action.

The move by Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude, will enrage unions planning mayhem over public sector cuts. A QUARTER of the Civil Service pay bill is spent on union reps, equal to £36million of taxpayers' cash last year.

Now Mr Maude wants to cap union spending at ten per cent per department. About 10,000 civil servants do union duties — 250 full-time. Anyone who wants to continue full-time will need a ministerial sign-off and be blocked from promotion.

A Cabinet Office source said: "For years under Labour there was insufficient monitoring of union activities. That's all going to change."

The TaxPayers' Alliance welcomed the move and called for similar action in councils and the NHS. A Government source said 5,781 paid days off were given to civil servants attending union conferences last year.