The leader of the UK’s biggest union Unite told the Guardian
that strikes could be timed to disrupt the Olympic Games this summer. The
suggestion has been condemned by political leaders and the associates of Unique
Client Solutions were similarly shocked.
Today Len McCluskey, leader of Unite union told The Guardian
“If the Olympics provide us with an opportunity, then that’s exactly one that
we should be looking at.” He continued, “The attacks that are being launched on
public sector workers at the moment are so deep and ideological that the idea
the world should arrive in London and have these wonderful Olympic Games as
though everything is nice and rosy in the garden is unthinkable.”
Unique Client Solutions, a customer acquisitions company
based in Sheffield, are eagerly anticipating the Olympics particularly with so
many teams due to train in Sheffield in the weeks leading up to the games.
“Everyone here was incredibly shocked to hear the news. This is a time when we
should be showing the world how well we do things in the UK not striking just
to get attention. There is a time and a place for everything,” said Simon Tomlinson,
a manager at the company.
The suggestion has been widely criticised by politicians far
and wide. Prime Minister David Cameron said that it was “unacceptable and
unpatriotic.” Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said “People will just be
gobsmacked, appalled, at Mr McCluskey’s remarks” he continued that to “mess up
the Olympics to prove a point” would be incredibly negative for the country.
Even the Labour leader Mr Milliband said that “any threat to the Olympics is
totally unacceptable and wrong. This is a celebration for the whole country and
must not be disrupted.” Unique Client Solutions believes his remarks are
incredibly poignant considering that Unite is Labour’s biggest donor.
Mr Tomlinson summed up his feelings, “At Unique Client
Solutions we’re incredibly excited for the Olympics, and we want to show what a
great country the UK is both on and off the sportsfield. The timing of these
suggested strikes would be incredibly detrimental and we would be disgusted if
they went ahead. We will be focusing our attention instead on cheering for our athletes
and welcoming our international guests.”
