A Tradition Worth Defending
Trade unions have long been the backbone of democracy in England, voluntary associations that balance power, give workers a voice, and hold governments and employers to account.
They have shaped the rights we take for granted today: the right to organise, the right to representation, and the right to work under fair conditions.
From the craft guilds of the 18th century to the miners and factory workers of the 20th, Trade Unions have been vital in advancing liberty, democracy, and diversity across English society. But this hard-won legacy is now under strain. Membership has been falling for decades, and with it the collective strength that once protected workers and shaped England’s national policy.
If England is to rebuild a fairer and more democratic future, a revitalised, workforce-focused Trade Union movement is not optional, it is essential.
Why Trade Union Membership Is Falling
1. Political Disconnection and a Lost Sense of Purpose
Since the 1980s, Trade Union membership across England has fallen sharply. One key reason is the decline of political identity rooted in class and collective struggle.
Where once Trade Unions thrived on a shared sense of political purpose, tied closely to a genuine Labour movement many workers now feel detached from politics altogether.
People remain interested in political issues but no longer see collective action as the route to change. Decades of centrist consensus have blurred ideological lines, leaving working people unsure who truly represents them. Rebuilding that sense of shared purpose, rooted in England’s towns, workplaces, and communities is vital if Trade Unions are to grow again.
2. A Fragmented Labour Market
The shift from manufacturing to services has transformed the English economy. Large workplaces that once sustained powerful Trace Unions have been replaced by small firms, subcontracting, and self-employment. Millions now work in casual working roles from care to catering, logistics to delivery., where Trade Union organisation is difficult and job turnover is high.
Trade unionism was built on stable, collective workplaces. The challenge now is to adapt Trade Unionism to a fragmented, flexible economy while defending the same principle: a fair deal for every worker, wherever they are.
3. A Changing Workforce
The workforce has become more diverse and mobile. Younger workers, those in part-time or insecure jobs, and the self-employed are far less likely to join Trade Unions. While education and gender gaps in membership have narrowed, age and job insecurity remain decisive.
To survive, Trade Unions must speak directly to these workers, not just as an afterthought, but as the new core of England’s working population. Campaigns on fair pay, housing, and job security resonate deeply with younger and lower-paid workers, but they must be backed by accessible structures for joining and participation.
4. Economic Insecurity Breeds Isolation
Economic instability should drive workers to unite but often it has the opposite effect. When people fear job loss or doubt that a Trade Union can protect them, they retreat into individual survival strategies. Low expectations of fairness create a culture of resignation.
Many workers across England believe that British Trade Union movement has failed them as they are only concerned with party politics and are self-interested. The modern Trade union challenge is therefore not just to organise, but to restore belief: belief that Trade Union campaigning works, that good representation delivers results, and that every worker can share in its protection.
5. The Weakening of Political and Social Ties
Since the 1990s, the traditional link between the Labour Party and the Trade Unions has frayed. While “New Labour” embraced market liberalism, Trade Unions were pushed to the margins of national debate. This distancing weakened both sides: The Labour Party lost its moral anchor in the working class, and Trade Unions lost their political leverage whist still paying huge amounts to the Labour Party.
Without strong allies in Westminster, Trade Unions have relied increasingly on public campaigns, legal challenges, and workplace organising. Yet without a coherent national project for social renewal, these efforts struggle to achieve lasting change. The situation has been that Trade Union campaigns have been about issues that the workers across England feel are not related to them, political ideology that they feel alienated from and to distance from their needs. England needs a trade unionism that stands independent but politically confident, able to shape rather than merely react to policy. Not affiliated to any political party but ready to campaign on relevant issues of the day.
The Case for a Renewed English Trade Unionism
Defending Democracy, Liberty and Freedom of Speech
Trade unions are not relics they should be pillars of a free society. In a time when corporations, the media and think tanks shape working life more than Parliament does, Trade Unions remain the only democratic counterweight grounded in everyday experience. That experience understands the problems workers are facing.
They defend the democratic process by ensuring that working people, not just elites or governments, have a say in how the country is run. Their campaigns for fair pay, safe work, and equality should have strengthened democratic culture across all of England’s counties but sadly the Trade Union movement has been to British focused.
Only now in the last decade has there been an understanding that England needs its own Trade Union movement, sadly this concept has been too readily attacked by British Trade Unionist whose political ideology is not connected in any way to issues that those workers across England face. Those British Trade Unions have been the organisations that unfortunately have stifled, free speech and pushed people away from joining the Trade Union movement.
Reconnecting to Community and Nation
England’s working life has been hollowed out by decades of centralisation, deindustrialisation, and inequality. Reviving trade unionism means reconnecting it to the everyday realities of English society, its towns, the changing high streets, care homes, warehouses, and digital workplaces.
Local Trade Unions should once again be the engines of civic life, defending public services, housing, and decent work in every community. The future of English democracy depends on it.
Adapting to a New Era of Work
Modern Trade Unions must evolve without losing their principles. That means embracing new forms of membership, digital organisation, and cross-sector alliances. The next surge in Trade Union growth will come not from the factory floor, but from transport, call centres, classrooms, hospitals, and the IT economy platforms to mention a few industry sectors. It will also come from a Trade Union that speaks the same language of the workers across England, a language of fair representation, fair taxation and fair governance.
To achieve this, Trade Unions must invest in visible support of England’s workforce, wanting education to be freely available to all, and leadership development particularly among young and female workers who form the backbone of England’s modern labour force.
Rebuilding the Trade Union Movement in England
Reversing the decline in membership requires more than recruitment drives. It means rebuilding the sense of shared destiny that once defined the labour movement. That means:
- Reasserting Trade Unions as democratic institutions for all workers across England, not just traditional sectors.
- Campaigning on the issues that define everyday life, housing, health, transport, and fair pay.
- Re-establishing the principle that economic justice for England is a cornerstone of democracy, not a fringe cause.
Trade unions helped build the modern English state. If they are to remain relevant, they must now help rebuild it, to become stronger, fairer, and more democratic than before.
Conclusion
Continued decline of Trade Union membership is not inevitable, it is a challenge. England’s workers face new forms of exploitation and insecurity, but also new opportunities for growth and innovation.
A revitalised trade unionism, rooted in England’s communities and shaped by the realities of 21st-century work, can once again become the guardian of free speech, fairness, and democracy.
The task is not to recreate the past, but to renew its Trade Union purpose. Giving working people across England a collective voice in shaping the future of England is an absolute must.
