Policy Research Media Morhamburn

Never has there been much of a rapport struck between British Trade Unions and the Tories, to say the least. The ‘horror’ which met an invite to David Cameron to address the annual TUC conference confirms that nothing has changed.

If Cameron accepts his invite he would be the first Conservative leader to speak at their annual conference, a spot normally reserved for a Labour heavyweight. The Transport Union RMT has confirmed that it is initiating organised opposition to this invitation, applying pressure on the TUC to withdraw the invite and threatening a walkout of its members from the conference if ‘Dave’ does take to the stage.

The prospect of Dave endowing his pearls of wisdom and ‘fiscal fascism’ is not your average Trade Unionist’s cup of tea. Especially with rumours adrift of plans to extend upon the union-limiting laws of the Thatcher-era, with transport Secretary Philip Hammond reportedly having met with Boris Johnson with the sole purpose of gaining advice for new rules to govern industrial action.

The RMT have already won support from the North West Region of the TUC who have issued a motion demanding the withdrawal on the grounds that the invitation sent the ‘wrong message to its members’; this statement is not without merit. As Bob Crow was quick to point out the TUC should be about protecting ‘jobs, pensions, public services and living standards’ and it cannot be queried that all of these are under imminent threat from ‘Cameron’s-cuts’.

However, Bob Crow’s boys may have jumped the gun. The invite from the TUC for Cameron to speak is not quite heralding in a new TUC-Tory love-in era, where the Westminster coalition is ushered in to trample over the Unions as they please. Rather the RMT should see Cameron’s potential address as an opportunity in their favour. Instead of running for the hills, in an attempt to gain heroic kudos amongst their peers, the situation should be utilised wisely by the likes of Crow, and time be made preceeding Cameron’s speech for questions, which would allow the Union’s perceived flaws in his administration be exposed.

Given that the conference will command sizeable media attention, coverage of Cameron being given a thorough grilling will dent his airbrushed armour far more so than if Bob Crow, the RMT’s leader, has his way and Cameron’s words left unchallenged ’echoing around an empty hall.’

To follow Crow’s wishes will only serve to reinforce and perpetuate the view from the right of the ranks of Trade Unions being populated by pig-headed old-timers, so work-shy and walk-out prone that they would even abscond from their own key event.

Like it, or-almost certainly in this case- not, Cameron and his policies are not going anywhere too distant in the near future.  As such Unionists should perhaps keep their enemies closer than their friends. If Unions want to retain a strong voice, able to represent their members’ needs and command respect, they must be seen to be willing and able to engage with their age-old enemies of the right in an effective manner. It is understandable that the reflex reaction to news of Cameron’s proposed speech is of disgust, but they cannot sustain this approach. In order to avoid being overlooked as anachronistic, stagnant force Unions must show themselves to be capable of intelligent manoeuvres to challenge issues affecting its membership: the TUC’s invite to Cameron being the first of these.

An address by Cameron to the TUC should not be seen as Unionists selling out to the flavour of the week, instead a well considered initiative, acknowledging the powers at be who will continue to influence the values they represent, creating a forum for interaction with them.

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