In the 19^th Century, Trade Unions were established to help protect workers from ruthless and unscrupulous bosses. The new Union leaders united the workers into cooperatives. These cooperatives received money from the workers who invested a small amount of their income into a central fund. This central fund was then tapped into in times of dire emergency. Together the workers were stronger, and together they protected the whole from the threat of intolerable conditions, redundancy, sickness, bullying etc. Today, there is a case to say that trade unions are obsolete…, because they’ve won!

If workers in the 19^th Century had no power to protect themselves against unscrupulous companies, then in the 21^st century companies have no power to protect themselves against unscrupulous workers. For example, what can Willie Walsh at British Airways do? He is running a loss-making airline in the worst recession in almost 100 years and has come up with a package of measures designed not to line his own pockets, but to save an ailing company and thousands of jobs. He has lowered his and all senior executives’ salaries.  He has cut every cost he can find. He can’t fire staff (illegal), he can’t reduce their salaries without their agreement (illegal), and he can’t make mass redundancies as you can’t run a company without staff. Are Willie Walsh and British Airways the bosses in Oliver Twist’s London?  No!  In fact, as I listen to Willie Walsh and then listen to the union leaders I wonder whether it is now the union leaders that have become the bullies, treating their employers without consideration, respect or understanding – and I don’t believe they’re doing either British Airways, or their employers (certainly not their customers) any favours.

British Airways has no recourse against the staff, or unions that may bankrupt the company.  Workers though, if feeling at all aggrieved have the right to advice, employment tribunals, equal opportunities, race relations, health & safety etc And all of this aid is free for any employee… none of it is free for the company. I think it’s high time trade unions reinvented themselves because the mentality of “us against them” and “workers unite against the tyrannical companies” is obsolete.  We need to work with each other, not against each other lest we all lose in the end. For example, here in Ireland, one of the worst hit countries in the recession, there is a genuine recognition of the need for reform. Government and unions have reached a tentative agreement on public sector reform and pay without any major disruptions to the public.

My heartfelt sympathy goes out to Willie Walsh and all those fighting to save British Airways.  If trade unions are to fulfil a useful function then they will have to reinvent themselves, because as they are, I believe their usefulness is over.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 1st, 2010 at 10:06 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.