The unveiling of the Tory manifesto has given cause for some in the media to label Theresa May a “red Tory” on account of the series of apparently “pro-worker” measures in the manifesto. Scandalously, the TUC leader, Frances O’Grady, instead of attacking the Tories, has come out offering support for their token gestures towards workers.
The unveiling of the Tory manifesto has given cause for some in the media to label Theresa May a “red Tory” on account of the series of apparently “pro-worker” measures in the manifesto. Such supposedly “left” measures include caps on energy prices, placing workers’ representatives on the boards of companies, and giving workers the right to take a year of unpaid leave to look after sick and elderly relatives.
These measures are doubtless aimed at winning pro-Brexit UKIP voters from former Labour heartlands, and will be sure to irritate big business. These proposals, however, are a thin veneer for what is unmistakably the same old Nasty Party.
Perhaps most remarkable of all is how the TUC leadership and the general secretary of the TUC, Frances O’Grady, in particular, have fallen hook, line and sinker for the Tories’ ploy. On 14th May the TUC offered up a disgraceful statement welcoming such a “promising set of commitments” to expand workers’ rights, whilst hedging their position by claiming “that much more detail is needed” on things like the gig economy, guaranteeing “future EU rights”, and making good their pledges on the minimum wage.
Not a word about the Tories’ relentless assault on workers’ rights. Not a word about employment tribunal fees. Not a word about the Tories innumerable connections to big business.
When Frances O’Grady tweeted the TUC’s feelings about how “promising” the Tories’ pledges were, she incurred a well deserved backlash from dozens of users. O’Grady was described as “hopeless” and told that she should be “ashamed of herself” for falling for the “Tories’ lying tokenism”. Many wryly noted that O’Grady’s comment seemed like the words of a union bureaucrat seeking a damehood from the Queen. Others excoriated the TUC leader for failing see how the pledge on unpaid leave was little more than a callous attempt to plug the gap in a gutted social care system, and for failing to ask how workers could afford a year’s unpaid leave.
The reality is that the Tories are the enemies of working people. It is remarkable that the TUC refuse to see this fact, or refuse to say as much. In this period, with the snap election providing a perfect opportunity to boot out the Tories, the last thing we need is scraping toadyism and servility from the leaders of the workers movement.
