The Labour party was created by the trade unions at the dawn of the twentieth century, to give a political voice to the values, concerns and aspirations of trade union members. Over 100 years later trade unions continue to recognise this historic and important relationship, working and organising for change in both the workplace and Westminster.
But as we move forward in the 21st century, the unions must meet and rise to the challenges of the modern, increasingly global, world and the ever-evolving social, labour and economic environment. How do unions do this? Who (and how) do we reach out to? Are we clear on what we are offering – to both individual members and the wider political world and society as a whole? Indeed, what are the unions of today here for?
The answers to these questions will not come easily or without work. But we should be clear that unions, like all civil society organisations, are mediators of social cohesion and a means of achieving social change. We should be clear that trade unions have the potential to – and do – make significant social and political contributions to the wider community on a local, national and global stage.
The unions have worked together with this Labour government to deliver for ordinary working people on key issues such as tackling low pay, discrimination and unfairness in the workplace and investments in training and workplace learning. But Labour can and should do more and the unions have a vital role in ensuring this happens.
On a day to day level, unions really can make a difference to their members’ lives. It is proven that organised workplaces have fewer low paid workers, a smaller gender pay gap, narrower pay differentials and a better track record on the treatment of part-time workers. Lest not forget that the reasons why unions were created in the first place – to end the exploitation of workers by unscrupulous employers – are as relevant today as they were then. You only have to look at the fights for rights for temporary and agency workers and the struggle to stop gangmasters.
For unions to remain relevant (in some instances adapt to be become more so) to workers across society, we need to be open and forward thinking to enable us to change within ourselves so that we can reflect changes to the Labour market. We no longer live in a world where those new to the workplace sign up to a union on their first day in employment without a second thought. The world of work is changing and with it the make-up of the workplaces that unions should and could be reaching out to.
In particular, too many young people are not members of a union despite the fact that research shows that it is younger people who are more likely to face discrimination and bullying at work. They may know little about the role of unions and the real benefits to them and their colleagues that being a union member brings. Their only contact or understanding of the union movement is likely to be through media headlines, offering distorted and all too often negative perceptions of unions and limited stereotypes of who a union member is.
We don’t get across clearly enough the major contribution that unions make to the skills agenda and the opportunities that can present themselves through union training, learning and so on. That unions are aspirational as opposed to adversarial. That it is not all cloth caps and endless picket lines. In today’s world with the current challenges we face, dynamic unions are needed to ensure that workers across the employment spectrum are treated fairly and have equality of opportunity.