By: Ashley

Ashley — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:44:16 +0000

I think one of the challenges we face as Trade Unionists is that it is all too easy to characterise or misread our core beliefs as somehow not relevant or even unattainable. It’s not to say that the vast majority of people disagree with our values – what’s not to like with about values based on equality and democracy.
In practice we make a connection and organise around particular issues which while being very important to those directly effected are small in the grand scale of things – thus we are only ever going to ever engage with relatively small numbers as evidenced by achieving collective agreements to represent less than 150 workers at a time. Paul’s right it’ll take a long time to build strength in depth at that rate.
The Trade Union movement has to lead partnerships with government and employers not on the micro issues (though we still have to keep this part of our work going as well) but on the big issues – shared visions for tackling global warming, joint delivery of improving training and education, coalitions for social justice. The sort of issues where there is only one side to be on and to not be on that side is to be seen as outside the mainstream.
It’s almost certain that these issues are going to be outside our traditional industrial relations arena of historic influence. But then at the moment so are the most of the people we need to join us.
So as roadmap I’d suggest at local level, trades councils need to be looking for the big issues they can take to their opposites in the Chambers of Commerce. Regional TUC needs to be doing the same with regional government and regional employers organisations. Same nationally – with the CBI and who ever is in charge at Westminster after May 2010.
If as movement we can show local, regional and national leadership on some genuinely national interests – this could open the door to closer workplace partnerships on the back of common interest and maybe an increase in collective agreements which reflect an ethos of joint working.
Well I can dream – cant I ?

By: Gregor Gall

Gregor Gall — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:06:59 +0000

One suugestion about how to resuscitate the coverage of collective (and which does not require legislation which would be difficult to achieve in the current circumstances) would be to think about how and why industry-wide bargaining is maintained and in a few cases established for the first time. To me this highlights the need to try to get employers to see their common interests which can be represented through trade associations (especially on issues of regulation of their industry and of the employment relationship). And from there then try to make the case that the industry/sector could be experience less instability if wages/labour costs were taken out of competition so more concentration on service/quality etc. All this is admittedly a long shot because power (of workers) is ultimately what makes employer see things in a different so that they recalculate costs and benefits. Also this is true because much of the material basis of employer profit is competitive advantage through labour cost competition. Yet, and with no obvious sign of a grassroots revolt to strengthen unions and despite much effort put into union organising, it seems that unions may have to take a lead in trying to fashion the form of employer interest. Of course, this would be a long-term strategy with no immediate gains … but we have to start somewhere.

Comments on: How can we extend collective bargaining?

By: Ashley

By: Gregor Gall