Are Britain’s Unions Turning Against the Workers They Once Represented?

Published: 10 September 2025 | The English Chronicle Desk

The recent Tube strikes in London, which brought the city to a near standstill, have reignited a debate about the role and relevance of Britain’s trade unions in the 21st century. While industrial action on this scale is unusual, it highlights a growing divide in the labour market: between employees who can work remotely and those whose jobs require physical presence, leaving them stranded when public services grind to a halt.

The strikes, led by the RMT, a union with roots stretching back 150 years, underscore the complexities of modern union representation. Many of the union’s members earn above-average salaries and enjoy generous pensions, yet their actions have a disproportionate effect on the broader public and everyday workers who rely on essential services.

Historically, unions were closely associated with coal miners, steelworkers, and other industrial labourers. Today, however, union membership is more likely to include well-paid, credentialed public sector employees, often women with higher education qualifications. While traditional sectors like transport and manufacturing still see union activity, strikes in recent years have extended to barristers, teachers, university lecturers, and civil servants, reflecting both the diversification of union membership and a shift in focus.

Despite increased public visibility and a resurgence of strikes since the lockdowns, the influence of unions is arguably in decline. This trend is not unique to Britain; across OECD countries, union power has waned due to structural changes in the economy, including the collapse of manufacturing industries and the rise of fragmented employment patterns.

Critics argue that unions themselves share responsibility for this decline. By lobbying for higher minimum wages, expanded employment protections, and extensive state intervention in the labour market, unions have, in many ways, diminished the necessity for their own existence. Over the past decade, unions such as Unite have lost hundreds of thousands of members, as the state and employers increasingly provide protections and regulatory frameworks that were once the exclusive domain of unions.

Moreover, unions have been accused of drifting from their traditional base, aligning instead with broader social and political agendas that sometimes conflict with the interests of rank-and-file workers. Issues such as climate change policies, migration, and metropolitan social causes have at times alienated their core membership, mirroring the wider challenge faced by the Labour Party in retaining support among working-class communities.

The evolving role of unions in Britain raises fundamental questions about their purpose and strategy. While they continue to safeguard worker rights and ensure collective bargaining, the balance between advocacy and disruption is delicate. For many, unions now appear less as defenders of ordinary workers and more as organisations serving specific professional or ideological interests.

As Britain navigates these changes in its labour landscape, unions face a critical choice: return to their roots as champions of all workers or risk further marginalisation in an economy where the state increasingly performs the functions they once monopolised. The path they choose will shape both the future of industrial relations and the daily lives of millions of workers across the country.