Tyranny of the minority

Plans to change the laws that govern the way trade unions operate – as outlined in a letter of intent sent this week by the government to the International Monetary Fund in order to persuade it to join the Greek bailout program – will, arguably, be a very positive development for the country.

The new rules can go a very long way towards changing practices that had little respect for democratic rules of engagement.

The fundamental principles of democracy stipulate that critical decisions regarding the future of all employees of a business or an industry must be taken with an absolute majority. The situation until now gave inordinate powers to minorities within trade unions, raising questions about whether they were actually defending the rights of workers or other interests.

Employees can’t and shouldn’t be held hostage to a minority or to union bosses, especially when it comes to decisions that impact them directly.