Government will not be ‘held to ransom’ by militant union bosses with ludicrous demands, warns Ben Wallace

THE Government will not be “held to ransom” by militant union bosses with ludicrous demands, a top Cabinet Minister fumed last night as fresh strikes were unleashed.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace stared down leftie chiefs threatening “a rolling wave” of industrial action that could last until the summer.

He also accused union leaders of “pure propaganda” after they claimed soldiers covering for striking Border Force guards were less effective.

The war of words between Ministers and the unions escalated as a walkout by road traffic officers was announced by the PCS union for next week.

And RMT cleaners on trains will also strike on New Year’s Eve in fresh travel chaos for passengers.

Paul Nowak, the new general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, braced the public for more misery next year as unions “coordinate” their walkouts for maximum disruption.

He told Sky News: “Our unions will be continuing to talk in the new year about how we best support and coordinate unions taking that strike action.”

“In some cases, that might mean unions taking strike action on the same day and in other cases it will be a rolling wave of industrial action.”

While trying to play down fears he could orchestrate a de facto general strike, he warned industrial action could drag into the summer unless Ministers met their pay demands.

He accused the Government of using the independent pay review body’s recommendations as a “human shield” in the dispute.

Unions have been demanding pay hikes well above the 3-5 per cent suggested by the pay review body, whose parameters are set by the Government.

The Royal College of Nursing has asked for an eye-watering 19 per cent hike, while most others have asked for at least inflation around 11 per cent.

Mr Nowak suggested a “landing zone” compromise could be reached if Ministers agreed to open their cheque books.

But Mr Wallace insisted there was no “magic wand” to find the money and they would not be budging from the pay review recommendations.

He said: “The reason they’re independent is we’re not going back to the 1970s where the trade union barons thought that they ran the Government, they used to meet in Downing Street and tell the Labour Government of the day what they’re going to do.

“We’re not going to go back to that. We’re not going to be held to ransom.

“The trade unions can negotiate, they can negotiate with their employers and try and come to a resolution.

“That’s the most important thing. There’s no magic wand here to come up with money that the country doesn’t have.”

His comments angered union leaders who accused him of being “puerile”.

Unite boss Sharon Graham said the Government was “spinning a web of lies to divert the blame for who is really responsible for the economic crisis engulfing the country”.

Mr Wallace also slapped down claims that troops were not doing as effective a job as they stood in for Border Force workers at airports.

The military has been praised for keeping the smooth running of airports after they were drafted in as cover.

But Mr Nowak said yesterday the reason there are few delays is because soldiers “don’t have the powers to stop people at borders, and effectively the government has decided it’s going to open the borders.”

Speaking at Manchester Airport, fuming Mr Wallace shot back: “The claim is just pure propaganda put out by the unions.

“That’s not the case. I witnessed it today. And I am the former Security Minister so I know exactly how the borders work.

“So I think that’s just using propaganda to try and muddy the waters. The simple reality is our borders are safe and secure.”

Rishi Sunak is set to unveil tough new laws in the New Year restricting the ability of frontline emergency workers like paramedics and fire crews to strike.