Unions need to wake up and start looking forwards - Bernard Ingham

Sadly, I don’t expect my dream to become reality this New Year or any other in the foreseeable future. After all, look at what they are doing now: striking endlessly against public sector management who have no profit motive – or, more accurately, striking against the mass of taxpayers who keep them in the manner to which they have become accustomed.

When that falls short of their expectations – or what they see as their entitlement – they do what comes naturally and withdraw their labour.

It will take a seismic event or the arrival of an exceptional trade union statesman to change things for the better. We old strike reporters grew rheumaticky on being told by union barons that it did their members good to strike. They would then realise that everything had to be fought for. I am not sure some railwaymen would agree since strikes are reported to have cost them at least £4,000 up to now.

In any case, it is utter self-delusion. Your daily bread does not have to be fought for. It has to be worked for and working for a living has become ever more bizarre since the pandemic. Hence the prevailing gimme-gimme attitude.

In the course of my wild dream I have never envisaged a Britain without trade unions. That is not so much testimony to their need as to the arrogance, insensitivity and provocation of too many top managers in looking after themselves very well indeed and to hell with the workers. They are the Commies’ best recruiting sergeant.

Speaking as a consumer I would also say that they are brazenly incompetent in telling us they value our custom while making it a marathon obstacle race to get through to an agent who sounds like a human being rather than a Dalek. The finance houses show contempt for the elderly by computerising. As for providing a service, I have concluded from direct experience that the concept is alien to them.

It is time management as well as unions changed their attitudes if we are to have a Britain to be proud of.

And just think what a transformation dropping the class war could bring, provided they could suppress the knee-jerk action to strike. If they said that from now on their objective is to maximise the success and efficiency of the organisations employing their members – and, yes, secure continuing profits to increase job security

Workers might be encouraged to join the ranks of organised labour. Membership is currently only half it was when they were causing chaos in the 1970s. And since Margaret Thatcher tamed them we have had until recently nearly 40 years of relative peace and plenty, even if the Opposition see the 12 years of Toryism cleaning up after Gordon Brown from 2010 as austerity. They ain’t seen nothing yet – and that is why we need to work our way out of the present economic crisis. Striking is no route to success.

Just imagine what a hold the unions would have over management if in every meeting they pressed for greater efficiency, consumer satisfaction and elimination of waste. The bosses would not know what hit them. They would not be entrepreneurs unless they seized the opportunity.

It is impossible in a competitive and advancing technological society to guarantee job security. But for once the world would be turned upside down if, by creating the conditions for growth, stability and success, it brought a greater sense of security and a sense of belonging to two not just one organisation concerned about their welfare through the success of the enterprise.

Trade unions were formed to improve the condition of the working man. Technology has probably done far more than they have to achieve a standard of living and release from drudgery unimaginable 70 years ago. Now artificial intelligence and robots are promising more and the unions owe it to their members to exploit ever more technological advance for the good of both workers and consumers.

In the end the two are inseparable. The consumer, including millions of trade unionists, cannot benefit if as a trade union member he spends his time either striking or threatening to do so. We ought to be together in the business of re-balancing the economy and creating room for tax cuts.

My dream is of a nation working its way forward not indulging in serial in-fighting.