Union access means better workplaces

Respecting the choice of their worker to have a collective voice doesn't hold them back. It helps them succeed.  

Union workplaces have better communication between staff and management, lower turnover and a stronger culture of training and skills. Problems get resolved more quickly, employees feel more valued and employers are better placed to manage change.  

So the new union access rights coming into force today matter.  

They will make it easier for workers to learn about unions and the benefits of joining one. And they will bring Britain closer to other successful economies.  

This is an also big opportunity for the trade union movement.  

For too long too many workers have faced unnecessary and unfair barriers when trying to find out about unions or to organise collectively.   

I’ve been there as a union organiser. Stuck outside the workplace. Meeting workers in secret because the employer is hostile to unions. Constantly facing bad faith tactics from employers who don’t respect the right of their staff to join a union. 

These new rights will help change that. They will make it easier for unions to have conversations with workers about pay, conditions, training, safety and how people can come together to improve their working lives.  

They will require employers to give unions access to workers in person and digitally. And they will provide sanctions against employers who refuse unions access or who deploy union-busting techniques. 

That’s good for workers - many of whom want to join a union but don’t know how or have previously been told by their boss that ‘we don’t do unions here’. But it’s also good for employers and the Uk as a whole. 

Organisations like the OECD and IMF - hardly known for being left-wing mouthpieces - have recognised that collective bargaining can support higher wages, reduce inequality and help build stronger, more resilient economies.   

That's why these reforms are so badly needed.  

They're about moving Britain into the mainstream and helping create the kind of modern, successful economy that works for working people.  

Of course, not everyone welcomes that.  

Some have tried to scaremonger about unions gaining greater access to workplaces. They want people to believe that giving workers a voice is somehow a threat to economic success.  

The opposite is true. Good employers have absolutely nothing to fear.  

But companies that mistreat their staff, ignore legitimate concerns or think they can operate without accountability should take notice.   

Those days are coming to an end.  

My message to anyone who's not in a union is simple. Get together with your workmates and join one.  

Whether it's winning better pay and conditions, stronger health and safety protections, more flexibility at work or easier access to skills and learning - unions make a real difference.  

Because when unions do well working people do well - and so do good employers.

Read more about your new employment rights