Strength In Numbers


Why Trade Unions Are Still Vital

WHEN THE head of the bosses’ organisation calls trade unions
increasingly irrelevant, you can guarantee it comes from his fear of
increasing militancy from workers rather than a genuine concern over our
welfare!

Dave Gorton, TGWU 1/372 Branch (personal capacity)

Confederation of British Industry (CBI) director-general Digby Jones
used a keynote speech to Scottish business leaders to attack British trade
unions, and by implication, the so-called ‘awkward squad’ of union
leaders.

Apparently, the only protection workers need "in a tight labour
market with skills shortages is to be so adaptable, trained and valuable
that no employer would dare let them go or treat them badly".

Tell this to the hundreds of thousands of workers in the public sector
who have high levels of unique skills but get paid a pittance and face
daily violence at work in hospitals, schools and benefit offices.

Strength in numbers

Trade unions are as relevant today as when they were first formed in
the 19th century. Workers need the ‘insurance policy’ to defend them
against individual attacks from employers over such issues as sickness and
disciplinary action. More importantly, workers need the strength in
numbers provided by a union to resist attacks on jobs, pay, pensions,
terms and conditions.

It’s a fact that workers organised in unions get higher average
earnings, better annual leave entitlement and are less likely to be
injured at work.

However, Jones’ attacks cannot be ignored by socialists and trade
unionists. But rather than respond to the appeal to be less militant, we
must recognise that it has been the increased preparedness of sections of
the working class to contemplate strike action that is worrying the
employers.

Sadly, the ‘awkward squad’ for the most part have proved to be awkward
in words only – any increased strikes involving their unions have come
through pressure from below as workers test out their new ‘left’ leaders.

In fact, leaders like Kevin Curran of the GMB and UNISON’s Dave Prentis
initially welcomed Brown’s announcement of tens of thousands of civil
service job cuts. Only disgust from within their own ranks and other
workers caused them later to partially condemn Labour’s mass sackings
plan.

It’s this sort of blatant cheerleading for Labour, along with inaction
and failure in the face of employer attacks, that could lead to workers
viewing unions as ‘irrelevant’. Digby Jones, and other representatives of
capitalism, know this. Will our trade union general secretaries recognise
the double bluff and start to lead a fight against this anti-worker
government and its big business friends?


Better wages, more security

A NEW International Labour Office (ILO) report attacks the world’s governments and employers who aim to reduce trade unionisation. De-unionisation increases economic insecurity and workers’ vulnerability as unionised firms pay higher wages and offer higher security, it states.

Capitalist ‘globalisation’ is creating a world of unhappy employees, the ILO says, by making labour markets more ‘flexible’ (for the bosses that is), and removing universal provision of social benefits.

The report measures income levels, income security, the level of services and the level of inequality in pay levels. Britain is 15th among 90 nations covered by the report, some way behind the Scandinavian countries that still, despite the worst efforts of successive governments, have extensive social safety nets.

The USA, one of the richest nations in the world, is only in 25th place. The ILO comments that only 8% of the world’s people live in countries that provide even this basic level of economic security.

But this wasn’t given by the capitalist class – workers had to fight for it, largely through the trade unions.