Union leaders have attacked a government decision to reject calls for new workers' rights.

In the white paper on the Employment Relations Act, minister Alan Johnson said that current legislation was working well and only needed "fine tuning".

John Edmonds, general secretary of the GMB, did not hide his union's anger.

"The government has capitulated to the demands of the CBI and left workers vulnerable by not strengthening union recognition rights or protecting workers while they are on a legal strike," he said.