Tower Hamlets council workers are striking to stop the council's "Tower Rewards" plan to sack its entire workforce and re-employ them on worse terms and conditions.

This attack on the workers is bad enough. But on 3 July the council called the police on bin workers, members of Unite, who refused to cross a Unison picket line. Then on 6 July the police were called again, harassed pickets and supporters and arrested one.

Earlier in the dispute the council tried to use anti-union legislation to stop the National Education Union balloting on striking alongside Unison.

It is utterly shameful that a Labour council is using the Tory anti-union laws to try to prevent workers from striking. With the arrest on 6 July, things are spiralling. Tower Hamlets council must stop such behaviour, publicly ask the police to get out of the dispute, withdraw Tower Rewards and come to an agreement with its  workers instead of attacking them.

(GDPR statement: This statement was launched by Free Our Unions, the grassroots campaign against anti-union laws. Your data will only be retained if you consent to being added to the Free Our Unions mailing list, and will not be passed on to any third party.)

Initial Signatories (all in a personal capacity):

Alena Ivanova, Bethnal Green and Bow CLP; IWGB
Ana Oppenheim, National Coordinating Group, Momentum; IWGB member; Hackney North and Stoke Newington CLP
Ruth Cashman, Joint Branch Secretary, Lambeth Unison
Riccardo La Torre, National Officer, FBU
Chris Marks, National Executive Committee, PCS
John Moloney, Assistant General PCS
Alex Heslop, Bethnal Green and Bow CLP; Labour Link Officer, Southwark Unison
Andrew Berry, Unison National Labour Link Committee; Islington North CLP
Philip Lewis, Health and Safety Officer, Camden Unison; Hornsey and Wood Green CLP
Pete Firmin, Chair, Hampstead and Kilburn CLP; CWU (retired member)
Dan Jeffery, Chair, Lambeth Unison; Streatham CLP
Gina Hayden, Ealing and Southall CLP; Unison Labour Link
Liam Cooper, Chair, Wandsworth Unison; Camberwell and Peckham CLP
Martha Levi Smythe, Unison steward; Hackney North CLP
Elaine Etim, Lambeth Unison
Erin Healy, Unison; Streatham CLP
Jeremy Drinkall, Schools Convenor, Lambeth Unison; Camberwell and Peckham CLP
Yousaf Hassan, Unison; West Ham CLP
Daniel Randall, Assistant Chair, RMT Bakerloo branch
Janine Booth, Trade Union Liaison Officer, Hackney South and Shoreditch CLP; Chair, RMT Disabled Members Advisory Committee
Stephen Wood, Bermondsey and Old Southwark CLP; Night Tube Officer, RMT Finsbury Park branch
Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam, Unite; Brent North CLP
David Pinto, Hammersmith
Josh Lovell, Labour councillor, Stevenage; Cambridge UCU
Karen Johnson, PCS; Bermondsey and Old Southwark CLP
Rachael Baylis, Mid Worcestershire CLP
Moshé Machover, Unite; Hampstead and Kilburn CLP
Steve Chapman, Unite; Sheffield Heeley CLP
Andrea Gilbert, Unite; Putney CLP
Kyle Dempsey, Vice Chair, RMT LU Fleet Branch
Nik Barstow, Unite; Stretford and Urmston CLP
Ben Selby, National Executive Committee, FBU; Grantham and Stamford CLP
Tam Paterson, BFAWU
Jocelyn Cruywagen, Lambeth Unison Black Workers; Mitcham and Morden CLP
Bruce Robinson, Unite; Stockport CLP
Stuart Jordan, Unison; Lewisham Deptford CLP
Gregory Jay Florez; Hendon CLP
Cameron Bray, Unite
Michael Watts, GMB
Sandy Paul, Unite; Poplar and Limehouse CLP
Terry Conway, Chair, Hackney and Islington Unite Community; LGBT Officer, Islington North CLP
Mary Gregory, St. Helens North CLP
Janet Mace, Unite Community; Erith and Thamesmead CLP
Anna Day, Unison; Old Bexley and Sidcup CLP
Dave Putson, PCS; Erith and Thamesmead CLP
Andrew Thompson, Erith and Thamesmead CLP
Steve McKenzie, Unite; Erith and Thamesmead CLP
Andreire Hurst, Prospect; Ealing CLP
David Whitmor, Old Bexley and Sidcup CLP
Daniel Nichols, Unite; Romford CLP
Mike Frost, Unison; South Dorset CLP
Seamus O'Connell, TSSA (retired); Hampstead and Kilburn CLP
Mike Howard, Tower Hamlets Unison (retired members); Hastings and Rye CLP
Alexandra Veres
Ian Townson, Secretary, Lambeth and Southwark Unite Community; Battersea CLP (unjustly expelled)
Pat Markey, Secretary, Northampton District NEU; Northampton South CLP
Alganesh Gebremaraim
Martin Warburton, Vice Chair, FBU Crewe Station Branch; Eddisbury CLP
Sandra Smith, Unite
Emma Jones, Unison; Oxford West and Abingdon CLP
Richie McLoughlin, Harrow East CLP
Frank Haywood, Lambeth Unison
Kirstie Paton, Inner London Executive, NEU; Greenwich NEU; Lewisham West and Penge CLP
Simon Pearson, TSSA; North West Cambridgeshire CLP
Alan Booker, Tooting CLP
Jon Hegerty, Unite/NEU; Hitchin and Harpenden CLP
Michelle Laufer, Hornsey and Wood Green CLP
Mark Osborn, NEU rep; Lewisham East CLP
Mark Harrison, Nautilus - International; Manchester Central CLP
Arielle Bennett, UCU; Vice Chair (Membership), Stevenage CLP
Carol Milner, PCS (ARMS); Coventry North West CLP
Duncan Morrison, Branch Secretary, Lewisham NEU, Lewisham Deptford CLP
Danni Crowter, NEU
Mark Hollinrake, Shop Steward, PCS
Roger Luffman, TSSA (retired member); Bournemouth West CLP
Roxana Fraser, GMB; Winchester CLP
Aleph Ross, Vauxhall CLP
Tim Gopsill, Secretary, London Freelance Branch, NUJ; Assistant Secretary, Dulwich and West Norwood CLP
Gemma Guerrero, Unison; Dulwich and West Norwood CLP
Shakera Bowen; Unison
Alan Theasby, Chair, Unite Community Tees and Durham; Middlesbrough CLP
Glyn Secker, Unite Community delegate, Dulwich and West Norwood CLP
Caroline Domingo, Middlesborough South East and Cleveland CLP
Adrian Morris, Chair, PCS South East London Lambeth and Southwark branch
Debbie Breen, PCS Branch  Organiser; Streatham CLP
Linda Heiden, Unite Community Lambeth and Southwark; Women's Officer, Streatham CLP
Ian Ferrie, GMB; Hampstead and Kilburn CLP
Carol Foster
Aneesa Peer, Unite; Dulwich and West Norwood CLP
Andy Warren, PCS; Lewisham Deptford CLP
Pamela Blakelock, NEU (Retired), Dulwich and West Norwood CLP
Allan McLeod, Shop Steward, Unite MBC; LGBT Officer, Middlesbrough CLP
Helen Spriggs, Co-chair and shop steward, Unite LE1267; Bethnal Green and Bow CLP
Peter Wright, GMB; Broxbourne CLP
Owen Kennedy, Labour Link Officer, Unison NHS London; Tottenham CLP
Bob Sutton, Unite Construction; Croydon North CLP
Alex Davidson, FBU Brigade Organiser
June Simmons, former Health and Safety rep, Nalgo; Brentwood and Ongar CLP
David Pinto, Hammersmith CLP
Maggie Thomas, Stalybridge and Hyde CLP
Gary Clark, Branch Secretary, CWU Scotland No. 2
Margaret Fryde, Cambridge Labour Party
Helen Brown
Kenny Fryde, Unite; Cambridge Labour Party
Marie Lynam, GMB X59; Hampstead and Kilburn CLP
Elaine Donnellon, Unite EC delegate, Hampstead and Kilburn CLP
Tahir Mirza, Unite delegate, East Ham CLP
Sylvia Cohen, Unite; Finchley and Golders Green CLP
Amanda Sebestyen, NUJ; Holborn and St Pancras CLP
Geoff Palmer, RMT; Chipping Barnet CLP
Denis Lenihan, Health and Safety rep, GMB; Hackney North and Stoke Newington CLP
Tom Fallows, GMB; Morecambe CLP
Chris Roche, Unite; Exeter CLP
Phil Johnston, Brigade Chair, FBU; Waveney CLP
Carol Eyre, Meon Valley CLP