The "New Reality" and New Unionism,
by Bill Morris
An edited version of the address by Bill Morris, General Secretary of the
Transport & General Workers Union, given in St Peters on 23 October 1997 under
the title: Do Trade Unions have a Future?
After New Labour
Some of you may be wondering, whats a trade union like the T&G doing
addressing a Church audience? Why arent we out there trying to bring down the
government and causing a few strikes? You would be forgiven for asking these questions
because after 18 years of being told that trade unions are the enemy within - thats
the popular view of trade unions. Well, let me tell you that my Union represents nearly
one million members and their families. They are drawn from a variety of faiths, and they
are all quite ordinary men and women like you and me.
Today, I have been asked to share my thoughts on the future of trade unions, and I
shall attempt to do so within the context of what I see as the New Reality.
- I will start by looking at the broad role and function of trade unions.
- Next, I will consider how the world of work is changing.
- And finally, I will describe the response of my Union, the T&G.
But first a word about our traditional values. Trade unions are often identified as
politically to the left; their members are thought of as dissidents; people not unafraid
to question the status quo. There are many examples in history where the Church and the
trade union movement have worked side by side in support of the same causes. Let me remind
you of a few of them, from the time when Cardinal Manning intervened in the 1889 dock
dispute:
- we have campaigned for democracy in Poland
- we have marched together for civil rights in America
- we have campaigned together for justice in South Africa
- we have stood together for human rights in Latin America
- we have worked together for the eradication of poverty and deprivation here in the UK.
As you will no doubt be aware, last month the Archbishop of Canterbury visited the
Trade Union Congress in Brighton. He spoke on the same day as the Prime Minister. And the
joke going around the Conference was that the Archbishop gave the politics, while the
Prime Minister gave the sermon. But, in what was a well received address, the Archbishop
identified some of the values shared by the Christian Church and the British trade union
movement. He spoke about "Faith in the City", the report which highlighted the
grave social and economic divisions which were widening during the 1980s. He talked of how
Christianity and trade unionism shared the same antipathy towards prejudice - and our
proud history fighting against racism and discrimination. And he also spoke about
employers moral responsibility, as he put it, "to recognise the chosen
representatives of their employees". The Archbishop ended with a call for us to
"keep working together on the many causes that unite us". A call that I echo.
The Role of Unions
Colleagues, we must respond to that call in the knowledge that we live in a changing
world. Recently, several social commentators have suggested that trade unions have
completed their historical mission. I naturally disagree. In my opinion trade unions are
on the verge of a new renaissance as we seek to shape tomorrows world. Trade unions
remain the largest voluntary bodies for social integration and by definition have a moral
purpose for their existence as well as representing the best guarantee for security and
equality in the workplace.
The fundamental purpose of trade unions remains the same, which is to act as the
collective voice of working people; to organise and represent the interests of our members
at work. With the integration of the world economy there is a growing fragmentation of the
worlds society into winners and losers; those who are sharing in the fruits of the
vast wealth creation process, and those who are being marginalised and left behind.
Poverty is not only co-existing side by side with great advances in technology, it is
actually increasing, with 30% of the worlds workforce now unemployed. The question
now, is how to make the trade union role relevant to the new situation on the edge of a
new century.
I do not want to offer you a new T&G, but I would like to offer the T&Gs
response to a changing world. We say that this debate must start with a recognition of the
key factors which are the driving forces for change. These are:
- a global economy where the success or failure of any country will hinge upon economic
growth
- this world will be driven by information, not money
- intellectual capital will be the most important asset of an organisation
- customers will be better informed and more educated
- an estimated one billion people will work from home via the Internet
- the workforce will become even more empowered and managerial philosophies will have to
incorporate this new reality
- business will have to be even more aware of environmental issues.
The World of Work: Flexibility
Now lets look at one of the most significant influences in the new labour market
that will shape the New Agenda - flexibility. In recent years the development of
flexibility has been a defining feature of the UK labour market. Tory and Labour
governments have seen it as a key factor in managing the economy and achieving great
competitiveness. The UK is now the most flexible labour market in Europe. For employers,
flexibility allows labour to be managed in order to meet fluctuating demands as well as
helping to adapt to technological and other organisational change. For employees it offers
the opportunity to balance work with other commitments, particularly in the 24-hour
society. Flexibility is seen as the best way to respond to the globalisation of the
economy and the technological revolution which has swept our planet. But for thousands of
British workers the reality of "flexibility" is very different. Recently, the
National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (NACAB) illustrated the reality, for
thousands of working people at the sharp end, in their report Flexibility Abused. For many
CAB clients, flexible working means deteriorating working conditions combined with extreme
insecurity of employment. Flexibility can mean short-term contracts or even no contracts
and unwanted part-time working.
Whilst it is our responsibility to reach out to these workers, it is the responsibility
of government to guarantee a legal framework to prevent the worst of these abuses; a
framework with rights on the one hand and responsibilities on the other. As European
Commissioner Padraigh Flynn, has said, the challenge for us is to "reconcile the
flexibility which firms need with the security which workers require".
I believe that the way to do this is through a frame work of minimum standards: job
security, minimum rates of pay, training provision and standards, representation at work,
partnership between government, unions and employers, and equal opportunities for women
workers, black people and the disabled.
The Union response
In responding to the changes described above, the T&G has arrived at a number of
conclusions and has redefined its relationships - with members, with government, with
employers, and with the community, as well as our role in society.
Some on the left of British politics have said that the last 18 years of Conservative
government were wasted years for the trade union movement. I disagree. For us in the
T&G they were learning years:
- we learnt to improve our democracy
- we reshaped our communications
- we refocused our campaigning
- we learnt to understand that public opinion matters.
But while we have developed an efficient and professional administration, our core
values remain unchanged. In a nut-shell, we have leaned to turn arrogance into confidence.
We leant that our survival as a powerful industrial organisation is not God-given. Instead
it depends on what we can deliver to the people we serve - our members. That means
organising and negotiating skills, and it means the quality of our benefits and services.
But it also means the relationships we build with government, employers and the community
as a whole. We are not and cannot be an island.
I believe that our approach is the very essence of New Unionism - a new unionism which
recognises that trade unions are an essential part of the industrial and political
landscape, a New Unionism which understands that it is up to us to make ourselves relevant
to todays workers, to todays employers, and to todays government.
So let me turn to our relationship with employers. Here our objectives are two-fold: to
improve competitive performance and to win the best possible conditions for our members.
To achieve these aims we are committed to constructive partnership with employers. The
defining culture of this partnership is founded on:
- the common desire for a company to succeed
- worker flexibility and employee security
- company growth through employees skills and development
- delivering quality products and services with quality people
- skills, training and high rewards.
Our basic message to employers is "Britain cannot compete on the basis of
conflict. You can only win with your workers." And so we are committed to working
with good employers, but we shall not hesitate to take on the bad. I dont think that
you would expect me to say anything else.
Turning to our relationship with the government. Since the General Election I am
regularly asked what the T&G expects from the new government? My reply is simple. The
same as everyone else - good education, a good health service, safe communities, and jobs
for those without. The T&G has a duty to represent its members interests with
government - any government. We do not see ourselves as being in power when Labour is in
government and in opposition when the Tories are in office. We shall judge the policies of
the government against our members interests.
So what is the future for industrial relations in Britain as we approach the
Millennium? Two roads beckon. The first leads to success in global competitiveness
underpinned by a framework of minimum standards, the second is a return to the values of
the Victorian industrial age of exploitation and insecurity. To choose the latter would be
tantamount to a lock-out of British workers from the social and economic development of
our country.
I believe that workers want to engage with change, but they do not want to be exploited
by it. I believe that workers will embrace flexibility coupled with security. I believe
that workers need training. But they also want respect. I therefore believe that the role
and importance of trade unions remains as vital as ever. In the new global order we shall
continue to act as a force for change - campaigning for social justice, fairness and
decency in the workplace, in our local communities and in society as a whole.
Return to the
Articles contents page
|