Member

The noble Lord, Lord Barber of Ainsdale, asked us to consider the political context of the Burns agreement in 2016. I want us to consider the political context of today, in which there has been a huge decline in trade union membership—I would imagine that trade union leaders would be giving all their attention to that and trying to increase the number of members, if that is the aim. Within that decline, there has also been a shift in the sorts of political priorities that trade unions concern themselves with. My experience of talking to ordinary trade union members is that many of them are completely alienated from the kind of political campaigning that a lot of trade union leaders involve themselves in. People say that many trade unions seem to be obsessed with equality, diversity and inclusion. They are more akin to HR departments and corporate governance, which seem to be in lockstep with the trade unions over certain issues. They are more like a student union than a trade union.