Introduction by the general secretary

Introduction - by the general secretary

The past year has been one in which many ideas, some of them long in gestation, have finally become reality. In some cases the birth has been long and painful. And sometimes the off-spring have not lived up to all our expectations; but overall this has been a year of real progress.

Recruitment and organisation are at the heart of all we do. If unions fail to appeal to each new generation of workers then our organisation will surely wither. For too long there has been a tendency is some parts of the trade union movement to see other unions as the competition and, as a movement, we have spent too much energy on wasteful rivalry rather than spreading the trade union message out into the areas where organisation is non-existent.

Many of us have long sought to promote the idea of a co-ordinated recruitment effort; with unions learning from each others' experiences and developing a skilled and enthusiastic cadre of specialist officers. This year we have established the Organising Academy as part of our New Unionism project. We are still at the pilot stage. But the early signs are promising. There is a genuine enthusiasm amongst those involved and new and imaginative ideas are being tried. True there are risks but we need to take risks if we are to meet the challenges which we set ourselves of modernising our movement and meeting the needs of a new generation of workers.

The modernisation challenge was one that the Prime Minister reflected on when he spoke to our Congress last year. And it has been the relationship between the trade union movement and Government which has dominated my time over the past year.

What is clear is that the Government is intent on maintaining the broad coalition which saw it elected with such a stunning majority in May 1997. That means maintaining the support of employers as well as employees. And on some occasions it has appeared that there is a tendency within New Labour to demonstrate the newness at the expense of the traditional links with labour, with workers and with unions. This is often reflected in anonymous press comments. And the greater importance given to the way things are portrayed in the press and broadcast media is one factor which distinguishes this period from that of previous Labour Governments.

As is reported in chapter 1, the months leading up to the White Paper Fairness at Work were ones in which the complexities of dealing with Government were all too apparent. The White Paper clearly falls short of what Congress hoped for. Yet it also represents the best opportunity our generation will have to fashion a new climate of industrial relations; one in which we have real potential to reach out to new workers; where we can offer genuine protection to those facing injustice at work; and one in which a genuine social partnership can be developed. Clearly we need both to recognise the shortfalls, whilst seizing the opportunity. But which should be played in the major key? The message which is emerging from unions' comments on the White Paper is that we should stress the positive and seize the time. That certainly is my instinct.

On the minimum wage the issues are remarkably similar. The rates agreed by the Low Pay Commission fall short of what we believe the economy can afford as well as what

the low paid deserve. And the Government's modifications to the rates for young people were very disappointing. Yet, a year ago the prospects of employers representatives agreeing to a national minimum wage seemed remote indeed and the chances of us having a permanent Low Pay Commission in place, with all that means for up-rating, looked slim.

On the economy as a whole, our fears centre on the real dangers of the high pound and the looming clouds of recession. Our failure to join the majority of the European Union in the first wave of the Economic and Monetary Union could potentially do us a great deal of harm, both in the short-term because of the value of sterling as well as over time.

There are plenty of other concerns about the Government, often as much about the pace as about the direction of change. The emphasis on education and in particular life long learning has been to the fore in government thinking, even pre-dating their election. The role of trade unions in lifelong learning has been recognised in a practical and financial way. We too have demonstrated the priority which we give lifelong learning through the establishment of a task group whose report is included as an appendix to this volume.

This year has seen progress on the New Deal, on welfare, on the whole range of equality issues and in the area of pensions, where our working group have produced, a final report on the future of pensions provision, set out as an annex to chapter 8.

The work of the General Council and TUC staff continues to cover a broad range of issues. This year we have developed our National Education Centre and we now regard it as a separate department. Changing government structures and the prospects of Regional Development Agencies have implications for our work in the regions. The environment is also returning to the fore with the creation of a new trade union group on sustainable development to complement the business grouping established by the previous government.

The TUC continues to play a prominent role in international affairs and our representatives have been to the fore in the International Labour Organisation where a new declaration signals recognition that trade union rights must transcend national boundaries, irrespective of whether governments choose to sign the relevant conventions.

Over the past few years we have given prominence to our campaigning work as we sought to become an effective and high profile organisation. Campaigning continues to play a prominent role in our work, linked perhaps even more closely now to policy development. We are always looking for new ways of campaigning. This year we created a telephone hotline to show the problems of 'bad bosses' and an earlier helpline on women and pensions was swamped with calls - demonstrating an issue which had previously had a relatively low profile. Our work with Members of Parliament has increased in importance over the past year and the revival of the trade union group of MPs has provided an important channel of communications.

Although my attention in the past year has been more focussed on relations with Government and all that entails, I have still made every effort to get out whenever I can,

to meet trade unionists and employers and to talk first hand to the people on whose behalf we are all working. I have been pleased to have the opportunity to visit many workplaces including United Utilities in Warrington, British Steel on Teesside, British Aerospace near Hull and in Manchester, Vauxhall at Luton and Glass Training in Merseyside. I have also had the opportunity to address a number of union conferences and to attend international trade union events.

During the course of the year two colleagues left the General Council. Barbara Switzer retired and Bernadette Hillon took up a new post in the Department for Education and Employment. Both have been formidable advocates and dedicated workers in the cause of trade unionism and especially women.s trade unionism. We will miss them, but they would be the first to acknowledge that the causes which they championed will certainly not go unheard in their absence.

At this Congress three colleagues are leaving the General Council, Bob Elsom and Davey Hall, both of the AEEU, who both joined us in 1996 and John Sheldon of PCS who has served on the General Council since 1992. On behalf of their colleagues I wish them all well for the future.

General Secretary