Britain’s unions are facing a self-inflicted implosion

But there are disagreements on how to best take advantage of this time, after years of feeling ignored by the Conservatives. “There’s a schism growing between unions,” a senior union official told the i, after the pay restoration plans emerged last week. 

Another union executive accused the PCS of engaging in “cosplay”, telling the newspaper that other unions realised they needed to be more measured in what they asked for because they knew “how cash-strapped these organisations” were.

The executive added that “part of this is about the unions who love nothing more than to be let down by a Labour government”. Ouch.

A PCS insider dismissed the comments as “nonsense”. 

‘More holes in it than Swiss cheese’

It does not end there. Even Labour’s flagship workers’ rights plans, championed by unions, have caused a split. Before the election, Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite the Union, slammed Labour’s revised proposals for workers as having “more holes in it than Swiss cheese” while other unions backed the package. 

Unlike others – such as Unison, TUC and Usdaw – Unite the Union did not release a public comment on the proposals following a recent Whitehall meeting to discuss the plans with unions and business lobby groups. Tensions between Unite the Union and the pro-business wing of Labour run deep – Graham’s predecessor Len McCluskey once vowed to purge remaining supporters of Tony Blair from the party and “kick the New Labour cuckoos out of our nest”.

Unions also want to prove they have their own houses in order ahead of Labour’s sweeping package of reforms – there will be further rifts if anyone lets the side down.