http://www.ft.com/hippocampus/q15952e.htm
Union chief wants joint TUC, CBI conference
By Robert Taylor and Robert Peston
TUC The Trades Union Congress should scrap its annual conference and
hold a joint gathering every other year with the Confederation of
British Industry, a leading trade unionist is proposing.
As the TUC meets in Brighton, Sir Ken Jackson, general secretary of
the AEEU manufacturing union, is also pressing for trade unions to
give up the strike threat weapon in the interests of industrial peace.
The prime minister will in effect endorse Sir Ken's approach today, in
a speech likely to antagonise more traditionalist members of the trade
union movement.
A draft of his speech to the TUC this afternoon says: "It is absurd to
suggest that supporting business means somehow we don't support
employees . . . Let me spell it out - in backing business we are
supporting employees and employment."
Sir Ken intends to propose a programme for radical reform. He believes
that if the unions are serious about their commitment to partnership
with business they need to discuss major issues with company
executives and resolve differences and swap opinions. He suggests a
joint biennial conference between the TUC and CBI.
Sir Ken will also call today for the creation of a "strike free future
for industry".
But he will oppose any suggestion that the unions should break their
link with the Labour party.
However, last night Ken Cameron, general secretary of the Fire
Brigades Union, said separation "could benefit everyone". "We can no
longer rely on them to be our natural allies," he said.
Earlier this year his union voted to use its political fund for
campaigning for its members and not automatically finance the Labour
party.
-- Peter van Heusden : pvanheus at hgmp.mrc.ac.uk : PGP key available 'The demand to give up illusions about the existing state of affairs is the demand to give up a state of affairs which needs illusions.' - Karl Marx