Faith in the Union?
Chris Wilson is Secretary of the Community Faith Worker’s Branch
Christian Socialists have a fine tradition of campaigning for social justice: but not just in the political sphere through affiliation to the Labour Party. We need to remember our history. From the Tolpuddle Martyrs to the Burston school strike, Christian Socialists were always at the heart of any struggle for fairness at work.
Christians on the Left continues that fine tradition. Our work is well regarded in the political sphere; from the ‘Patriots Pay Tax’ campaign to supporting ‘Stamp out Poverty’, Christians on the Left demonstrates that the Christian Socialist tradition is alive and well.
But there is one area where more work can and should be done. That is in relation to the trade union movement. Trade union membership has fallen from a high point of around 50% of all workers in 1970 to a figure closer to 25% today. Yet we know that low-paid, often exploited workers, need the benefits that trade unions bring to everyone. Our Trade union movement needs your skills and your values (of which we share a great deal) and we need them now. Together, we can increase trade union coverage and get workers and their families the support they need.
Not only this, but faith workers often face specific challenges. Not just ministers and not just those working for the church; anyone holding an office or employed by a faith organisation benefits from being part of the Community Faith Workers’ Branch. Often working in isolation, often working with the vulnerable, sometimes working in potentially dangerous situations. Joining a union offers protection, advice and guidance for you as well.
Community Union now has a national Faith Workers’ Branch. And it is growing rapidly. We are determined to support each other. We are no less determined to support our union’s national campaigns against homelessness, supporting our veterans when they face challenges readjusting to civilian life after they have served our country, on ensuring workers have the skills they need to thrive and for better mental health provision for all.
We are there with people, for people, during the most difficult times in their life, during illness, during bereavements, during family tragedies and most recently, of course, during the Coronavirus pandemic. Look at those who are staffing the food banks, delivering the food parcels and often as not, you will find faith workers in the thick of it.
That shouldn’t surprise us. If you see something of the Divine, of God, in all people, then as you treat all people, so do you treat God.
The ‘Golden Rule’, of treating others as you would wish to be treated, finds its equivalent expression in all the world’s great faith traditions.
Community is a democratic union. We are committed to partnership working. We want to make trade union membership relevant for the 21ts century, and to use the same to root out injustice at work and in wider society.
Our cause is your cause. To make a better working world for everyone.
As a Christian Socialist, a Christian on the Left and a Trade Union member, help us to demonstrate faith in the union.
Join a trade union today.
Use the TUC Union Finder to find a TU that suits you:
The TUC has 48 member trade unions including industry specific and general workers unions.
Visit the TUC (Trades Union Congress) Website to find out more about what trade unions do and how they work:
Find out about the 12 Labour-affiliated trade unions:
Visit the Community TU Faith-Workers Branch:
