Ayesha Hazarika and Sam Freedman are joined by the General Secretary of the Prospect trade union, Mike Clancy, to look at Labour’s relationship with the union movement and how any future government can build a productive relationship to reshape the economy and support its growth mission.
After some catching up on all this week’s defection news, Sam and Ayesha get stuck in to the other piece of the agenda this week - the fact that the Labour Party recommitted itself to its ‘New Deal for Working People’. Joined by the leader of one of Britain’s major trade unions, Prospect, Sam and Ayesha investigate what this means, why it’s important and how the union movement will work with a future Labour government.
Most significantly, welcoming Labour’s stance, Clancy also warned the union movement not to seek “purity” on the issue and avoid a “public falling out” - adding that the dialogue between the government and trade unions would be “much better” under Labour but that unions themselves also needed to “step up” to embrace change and avoid an adversarial rhetoric, supporting an increase in membership in the private sector and for a changed economic model.
In a wide ranging discussion, the episode looks at how unions and Labour in government working together can support the delivery of better workplace wellbeing and employment rights, change the image of the union movement and deliver stronger productivity and growth in the UK economy.
The State of the Unions