Trade Unions

I heard something particularly depressing today. In amongst the usual stuff: '...there are people desperate for a job in the current climate so why can't employees of Company X be grateful just for having a job...' ; 'I don't think people who can inconvenience other people - (read INCONVENIENCE ME for that) should be allowed to go on strike' I heard the following 'I can't go on strike...so why should they (and it doesn't matter at this point who 'THEY' are) be allowed to strike?

I pointed out that surely the question should be 'Why am I NOT allowed to strike?' or 'Why am I NOT allowed to be in a Trade Union' but the response was Trade Union's are for lazy people who don't want to do a proper days work. To some of you this might be a wee bit of a shock. If it is...you need to move into the real world.

Trade Unionism in this country touches the employees of the public sector (or companies that used to be in the public sector). It barely touches people who work in small, privately owned companies. In fact a lot of those people might find it a little odd. After all I deal directly with my employer...why bother with a Trade Union?

I asked a colleague, 'Would we not be stronger if we could withdraw our labour together' and they said 'Why would I do that? I've always done alright talking to [The Boss] directly. And truth be told they probably have. Whether the rest of the company has is a moot point.

The point of this late night ramble is to point out that Trade Unions have a long way to go in this country before they can convince people of their benefits, which means reaching into the Private Sector not just the Public. It means pushing the current government - as well as the new, improved Labour Party leader, for legislation that makes it easier for employees to join a Trade Union, to have it recognised by the employer and to protect those who work for Trade Unions from victimisation and from losing their jobs through strike action.

There is, in British law, no 'Right To Strike'. Perhaps the time has come to establish one. Perhaps Trade Unions need to stop letting good Trade Unionists lose their jobs but 'win the Tribunal'. Perhaps Trade Unionism should stop apologising for the past and start hammering away at the future.