Trade unions increasingly irrelevant, argues CBI chief

The trade union movement is becoming 'increasingly irrelevant every day', as employees lose interest in unions whose leaders have 'outdated notions' of the world of work, according to Digby Jones, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry.

In a speech at CBI Scotland's annual dinner, Jones urged the unions to 'reform and, by encouraging flexibility, help the nation win the battle for competitiveness or wither on the vine of growing irrelevancy'.

  • CBI chief urges union chiefs to reform or die   Michael Millar reports, from personneltoday.com.

  • Trade unions are 'increasingly irrelevant', says CBI leader   Read the press release on Digby Jones' speech, as published on the CBI website.

  • Digby Jones - disappointingly Thatcherite   Read the response of Trades Union Congress general secretary Brendan Barber, as published on the TUC website.

    Also

    Why join a union? Go figure   IRS Employment Review looks at the findings of the latest DTI report on trade union membership.

    Recognition applications up 33%  IRS Employment Review reports on the findings of the latest annual report from the Central Arbitration Committee.

    Union membership stable   XpertHR presents a selection of article links relating to recent DTI research on union membership.

    US union busters land in UK   Stephen Overell investigates recent TUC claims that declining rates of union recognition betray an increasing use by UK employers of US-style 'union avoidance' consultants. From Personnel Today.

    Trade union recognition claims in a 'command and control' culture   Guidance from Personnel Today's panel of HR strategy experts.

    Trade union recognition: the basics and The consequences of recognition   From XpertHR's employment law reference manual.

    How to work with trade unions and employee representatives   Practical guidance from XpertHR's How to service.