TUC denies rise of union militancy

In a HardTalk interview on September 17, 2003, Sarah Montague talks to Brendan Barber about the question of whether militancy in the British trade union movement is on the rise

Controversial Speech

Brendan Barber denies that the Prime Minister backed away from reding the riot act to the unions. "I don't think he pulled his punches, he said". In his prepared text, he was going to say "the idea of a left wing Labour government as the alternative to a moderate and progressive one is the abiding delusion of a hundred years of our party". Many witnesses said that there was no mention of abiding delusion. Mr Barber says "I think there was".

"Opposing public service reforms would be as big a mistake as when the 1970s Labour Government rejected Council House sales". Again, witnesses said that there was no mention of Council Houses. Mr Barber says: "I heard him make a reference to council house sales". He notes that Mr Blair didn't speak from a text but rather a note: "I don't think he followed absolutely word for word every point in the note that was issued.". Derek Simpson of Amicus said at the time that if Mr Blair had read from his prepared speech, it would have been "a slap in the face".

Beer and Sandwiches?

Barber denies that the much talked about Forum would be a return to the "beer and sandwich days" of the 1970s. "We'd actually reached an important understanding with the Government that we're going to work with them in a new public services forum to actually talk through what are the improvements we are seeking to achieve across the public services".

Mr Barber is concerned about "creeping privatisation" in the Health sector: " Foundaiton hospitals I think are a mistake. I don't think they have persuaded the community at large that these are going to deliver benefits" He is concerned that some institutions will be perceived as elite at the expense of other hopsitals."We need more doctors, we need more nurses, we need more modern hosptials rather than hosptials trying to deliver services in run-down victorian old buidlings."

Top-up fees have been very controversial. People who want to go to university will hav eto pay up to £3000 for a degree course: "This is an issue of concern to every citizen, every parent... our view is that ... much less well off people are going to be less likely to apply for those elite insitutitons." One TUC member says that this move will "incinerate" Labour votes. Mr Barber agrees that this "will damage the government''s support significantly."

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