At today's opening of the Trade Union Futures Seminar held at the STUC Centre in Glasgow, STUC General Secretary Grahame Smith made the following remarks:
IN MAY LAST YEAR THE FIRST MINISTER LAUNCHED THE SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE’S FUTURES PROJECT, WHICH TOGETHER WITH OTHER INITIATIVES LIKE THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT FUTURES FORUM, IS DESIGNED TO GIVE GOVERNMENT AND SCOTTISH CIVIC SOCIETY MORE GENERALLY A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF FUTURE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES – LOOKING FORWARD 20 YEARS.
TODAY’S SEMINAR HAS BEEN ORGANISED IN ORDER TO GIVE UNIONS IN SCOTLAND THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE EXECUTIVE’S FUTURES WORK – TO GIVE IT BOTH A WORKFORCE AND EMPLOYMENT PERSPECTIVE AND TO ALLOW A TRADE UNION PERSPECTIVE ON THE RANGE OF ISSUES THAT THE FUTURE’S PROJECT IS CONSIDERING – BE THEY IN THE FIELDS OF EDUCATION; HEALTH; JUSTICE, THE LABOUR MARKET, THE ENVIRONMENT ETC.
ITS AIM IS ALSO TO ENGAGE OUR PERSPECTIVE ON THE KEY DRIVERS OF CHANGE – GLOBALISATION; INDIVIDUALITY; THE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT; ADVNACES IN TECHNOLOGY; AND THE LIKE.
THE SECOND PURPOSE OF THE SEMINAR IS TO ALLOW US TO EXPLORE HOW WE MIGHT CONSIDER THE FUTURE FOR UNIONS IN SCOTLAND AND TO HELP US BEGIN TO PREPARE FOR THAT FUTURE.
WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES IF WE IN THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT NEED TO UNDERTAKE OUR OWN FUTURES PROJECT AND IF SO HOW WE SHOULD GO ABOUT IT.
I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT AN EXERCISE IN CRYSTAL BALL GAZING. I’M TALKING ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THE TRENDS THAT WILL AFFECT UNIONS AND USING THAT UNDERSTANDING TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN BE PROACTIVE IN MAKING THE DECISIONS THAT WE WILL NEED TO MAKE.
THE PACE OF CHANGE IN THE WORLD IS EVER INCREASING. IF WE THINK ABOUT WHAT THE WORLD – INCLUDING THE TRADE UNION WORLD WAS LIKE 20 YEARS AGO – IT MIGHT GIVE US SOME IDEA OF THE MASSIVE CHANGE THAT WE CAN EXPECT IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS.
I JOINED THE STUC IN 1986.
AS THE FIRST MINISTER POINTED OUT WHEN HE LAUNCHED THE FURURES PROJECT:
IN 1986 APARTHIED EXISTED IN SOUTH AFRICA. NELSON MANDELA WAS IN PRISON IN ROBEN ISLAND; THE COLD WAR WAS THE KEY FEATURE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS;
IN 1986 THERE WERE ONLY 4 TV CHANNELS WE NOW HAVE HUNDREDS. THERE WAS NO BIG BROTHER; NO TEXT MESSAGING; AND THERE WAS LESS COMPUTING POWER IN THE AVERAGE OFFICE THAN IS NOW IN AN IPOD.
IN 1986 MAUNFACTURING ACCOUNTED FOR 20% OF SCOTTISH JOBS. TODAY IT’S ONLY 10%.
AT THE STUC WE DIDN’T HAVE PC’S; THERE WAS NO E MAIL; OR INTERNET.
THERE WERE 63 UNIONS AFFILIATED TO THE STUC 20 YEARS AGO AND 50 TRADE UNION COUNCILS. WE HAD OVER 900,000 AFFILATED MEMBERS.
IN 2006 WE HAD 39 UNION AFFILAITES AND 23 TRADE UNION COUNCILS. AND 630,000 MEMBERS.
THINGS CHANGE – EVEN IN THE CONSERVATIVE WORLD OT THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT – AND THEY WILL CONTINUE TO CHANGE. AS FAR AS WE CAN, WE MUST SHAPE THAT CHANGE RATHER THAN HAVE IT SHAPE US.
WE MUST BE PREPARED TO DO SOME HARD THINKING ABOUT THE ROLE OF UNIONS AND OF UNION STRUCTURES.
WE HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TO ACT. WITHIN THE STUC, AND WITHIN INDIVIDUAL UNIONS, A NUMBER OF STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO MODERNISE THE WAY WE WORK.
ALTHOUGH OUR MEMBERSHIP IS A THIRD OF WHAT IT WAS IN 1986, WE HAVE STOPPED THE DECLINE AND MEMBERSHIP IS ON THE UP. WE HAVE INCREASED MEMBERSHIP FOR THREE YEARS IN A ROW. BUT BY SMALL NUMBERS.
WE CAN ACCEPT THAT UNION MEMBERSHIP HAS STABLISED AND WILL NOT SHOW MUCH GROWTH PARTICULARLY AMONGST THE PRIVATE SECTOR WORKFORCE AND CONTINUE ON MUCH AS WE ARE OR WE CAN TAKE A RADICAL APPROACH AND ENCOURAGE MORE DEBATE AND ACTION GEARED TOWARDS SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASING UNION MEMBERSHIP AND THAT MIGHT MEAN LOOKING ANEW AT HOW WE ORGANISE AND WHAT WE OFFER TO WORKERS.
MANY OF THE WORKERS MOST IN NEED OF REPRESENTATION AND SUPPORT ARE THE MOST DIFFICULT TO UNIONISE – THAT’S OF COURSE WHY THEY ARE MOST IN NEED OF SUPPORT!
THERE ARE MANY NON UNIONISED WORKERS IN SMALL COMPANIES WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM UNION MEMBERSHIP, EVEN IF THE UNION OFFER AVAILABLE TO THEM DID NOT INVOLVE FULL COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.
WE NEED TO ADDRESS THE MEMBERSHIP CHALLENGE AND THE OTHER CHALLENGES WE FACE IN NEW AND CREATIVE WAYS EVEN IF IT MEANS CHALLENGING SOME ESTABLISHED ORTHODOXIES.
WE FACE SOME HUGE CHALLENGES – THE IMPACT OF GLOBALISATION; CLIMATE CHANGE; CHANGING ATTITUES TO INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE ACTION; OUR AGEING POPULATION; THE AGEING PROFILE OF THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT – AVERAGE AGE 48 AND INCREASING –ONLY 11% OF UNDER 24 YEAR OLDS ARE UNION MEMBERS.
I HOPE TODAY WILL HELP US DEVELOP OUR THINKING ABOUT THE TYPE OF SCOTLAND WE WANT IN THE FUTURE AND THE ROLE OF UNIONS IN THAT FUTURE – AND THAT IT WILL INSPIRE US TO DO MORE THAN THINK – BUT TO ACT TO ENSURE WE DRIVE THAT FUTURE AND ARE NOT DRIVEN BY IT.
