Taking the movement to the workers

I've helped set up at the first day of the Lambeth Country Show (#LCS40 for those of you twittering) and will be back tomorrow.

As one of the largest community events in London, the Country Show absolutely needs a trade union presence - and it is a tribute to the work of our Trades Council that we have a "Union Village" marquee which brings together local union branches and progressive campaigning organisations.

A generation ago - when half of all workers were in trade unions and the great majority worked in unionised sectors where their pay and conditions were set by collective bargaining - we could rely upon our workplace profile to know that workers knew where we were and what we were.

Now - although the retreat of trade union presence at the "point of production" may frequently be overstated - it is nevertheless the case that the fragmentation of the workforce and decline of collective bargaining together mean that we cannot rely upon workers coming to the movement.

We have to take the movement to the workers.

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the EE network.