Togetherness works

Jan 20 2010 by Andrew Sugden, The Journal

LATER today we'll see the jobs data from the Department from Work and Pensions on the number of people in employment at the end of last year.

What was the most turbulent year in business will have finished with around one in 10 adults in the North East unemployed.

Yet, things could be so much worse. Most UK regions – except London, the East Midlands and the North West – have seen unemployment increase faster than in the North East. And nationally economists estimate that there are around 400,000 more people in work now than we should expect considering the previously unseen 6% reduction in the value of the UK economy.

While this will all be of little comfort to those currently without a job or facing redundancy, and we are clearly not yet completely out of the woods, it does suggest that the North East economy has shown remarkable resilience.

One startling feature over the past few months has been the remarkable partnership between employers and their workforce, perhaps typified by the relationship some businesses have developed with trade unions. It is no surprise that the most passionate, committed and creative voices in the pressing debate about the future of steel on Teesside are those of the unions.

Many industries that were once characterised as strike happy have instead seen owners, managers and the wider workforce agree new ways of working that help secure investment, innovation and ultimately jobs. Whilst this may be true of much of the private sector, with some newsworthy exceptions, the jury is still out whether such a partnership exists across the public sector. And as the belt tightens on public spending it will become starkly apparent whether conflict or consensus will be the watchword.

It will be in this context that I’ll be at a meeting of NECC partner members with the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Brendan Barber, this Friday. No doubt we will uncover different perspectives on what is best for the workforce of the North East but I expect that our views will be closer than any of us might once have thought possible.

Andrew Sugden is director of membership and policy, North East Chamber of Commerce