“Changes this Government have made will make a real difference to people at work.  They didn’t happen by accident.  They happened because we have a Labour Government that wants people to get a better deal at work and to be able to balance the responsibilities of work and family life.”

argues Pat McFadden MP today in a speech to the Unions 21 Conference at the TUC Centre, London.

Pat used the speech to talk not just about what the Government have achieved with Union support over the last 11 years, but also the role Unions have in talking positively about these achievements and leading sustained campaigns raising awareness of new workplace rights rather than focussing only on grievances. This is particularly important, he argues, when recruiting new members who want a positive message about the improvements in workplace rights which Unions have had such a key role in securing.

 Here are a few extracts:

 “When we came to office we took a view that statutory rights for people at work were too weak and in some cases not there at all.  There was no minimum wage, no paid leave and the balance between work and family life meant the latter lost out.  Maternity pay and leave for example were a fraction of what they are today and there was no right to flexible working.

 We were elected with a mandate to change that and we did.    

Today the landscape is very different.  The Minimum Wage celebrates its 10^th birthday, maternity rights have been extended and strengthened and overall, people at work have stronger rights and are protected by higher minimum standards.

These changes will make a real difference to people at work.  They didn’t happen by accident.  They happened because we have a Labour Government that wants people to get a better deal at work and to be able to balance the responsibilities of work and family life.

 But a question I would like to pose today is why isn’t there a stronger union campaign to tell people about these improvements for people at work?  

Some campaigning unions like USDAW are doing a great job and others do valuable work in some constituencies and I want to pay tribute to their efforts to publicise the kind of new rights I am talking about.  But too often, issues are campaigned and fought for with great passion and determination, and then rarely discussed once they are in place.

When that happens I believe it is a missed opportunity.  I don’t expect trade unions to be cheerleaders for the government.  But don’t ignore the victories… … by showing that the condition of people at work is better and pointing to the new rights in place, unions can extend their appeal and get through to a new generation of members.”

 You can read the entire speech here by clicking on the PDF symbol: