Militant unions spark fears of a general strike – as they’re set to meet this week

MILITANT unions bringing Britain to a standstill will meet this week, sparking fears they are plotting a general strike.

Union chiefs will be hosted by the Trades Union Congress a day after they sit down with ministers to update them on their demands.

Rail groups the RMT and Aslef will join GMB and nursing union the RCN to discuss recent walkouts, PM Rishi Sunak’s anti-strike laws and plot more “co-ordinated action”.

Even the Prison Officers Association, which cannot legally strike, has been invited.

Ministers meet the disgruntled unions tomorrow, with insiders saying union bosses will “compare notes” on Tuesday to plan their next move. A source described the gathering as a “war cabinet”.

Hardline civil service PCS union chief Mark Serwotka is said to have called for a general strike at a previous meeting, but sources denied that and said he will not call for one this week.

A union insider said there was no appetite for a general strike — not seen since 1926 — but warned the PM’s union crackdown could spark mass walkouts.

They said of ministers’ stance: “The legal gun might be loaded, but it’s stuck in a shed three gardens down.

“It’s certainly not being pointed at us and their finger is nowhere near the trigger.

“If anything this will make workers think ‘lets strike now’ while they get everything in order.”

The TUC said: “Tuesday’s meeting is one in a series of regular meetings to think about how we best support unions engaged in industrial campaigns.”

Meanwhile, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has urged teachers not to vote to strike this week.

She said anti-strike laws are “not trying to be antagonistic” but added she hopes they are not applied to schools.