I am not a member of a trades union and recognise that they can in some cases help workers suffering from discrimination or being poorly treated but it’s their politics that concern me, or their saying one thing but providing support for another.
Unions in the main come across as left wing, some might even pretend to be socialist in character. However, Unions continue to support the Labour Party to the tune of 20 million pounds since Ed Miliband became the Leader of the Labour Party. Some members will be happy to provide this support, some won’t know they do and some won’t care. Some in the Union movement will argue that there has to be a balance against the vested interest of the wealthy individuals who support the Tory Party. There is even a bit of truth to that but if the TUC stands for social equality, ending child poverty, fairness , full employment etc then why on earth do they support Ed Miliband.
Surely if the trade union movement truly believe in these things then they have to stop their support for the Labour Party until the Labour Party actually stands for the same things. In my opinion what we have are two Tory parties supported by the wealthy, and the other supported by union leaders who earn enough to be classed as wealthy using poor people’s money to support the red Tory party.
It’s time for the union movement to wake up, or for it’s members to demand change to the party they support with their money because that party no longer stand up for working people.
grumpyscottishman.wordpress.com 
I agree. Some are starting to see that they need to support the Yes Campaign, but they are woefully slow in realising that they are financial keeping afloat another Tory Party that is out to get them.
Labour has just supported more Tory interference in union laws.
Wake up STUC.
Tris
I am not a member of a trade union mainly because of their blinded support of the Labour Party. Trade Unions can do so much good in this country, I wish I could be a member of one but their leaders are so used to the access to power they thinik they have with Labour it is such a pity. There really is no left anymore. I saw of the Liberal rubbish from Dundee this weekend and being someone who considers himself a liberal it is so sad to see what has become of yet another movement, if only it’s members would actually stand up and take control. They voted against the bedroom tax, nothing will change but will they issue a vote of no confidence in their party MPs, no. Just think of the good members could do if they said enough is enough you no longer have our support, you no longer have our money and threw them out. Party members have power but don’t use it, the thought that members agree with them is just too scary to contemplate.
The absolute need for unions has, in my honest opinion, long since passed. The current need is a hark back to bygone times when people really did need group power. But today the level of creative intellect displayed by the average union is breathtaking in its paucity. The leaders would seem to be found in Norway and other scandinavian countries. Time the UK unions learned a thing or two!
I still think there is a need for trades unions but ones that actually stand up for workers. Workers are not unreasonable, but they do require someone to tsand up for their interests and unions just don’t do that.
Thanks for your comment.
Bruce