Britain’s future will not be built by choosing between employers and workers, but by helping both prosper.
One of the most unhelpful myths in British politics is that business and trade unions are natural opponents.
For too long, employers and employees have been presented as though one side can succeed only when the other loses. I have never accepted that argument.
My experience as a business owner, employer and Labour councillor has convinced me that Britain succeeds when businesses succeed, and when workers succeed. These are not competing ambitions. They depend upon one another.
A false choice
Small and medium-sized businesses make up almost the entire UK business population and employ millions of people. They provide jobs, apprenticeships, services and opportunities in communities across the country.
Without successful businesses, there are fewer jobs, less investment and fewer opportunities. Without skilled, fairly rewarded and motivated workers, businesses struggle to remain productive and competitive.
That does not mean employers and workers will always agree. Disagreements are inevitable. But disagreement does not have to become permanent conflict. Strong workplaces are built through communication, negotiation, trust and a shared understanding that long-term success requires both sides to contribute.
The objective should not be to decide which side wins. It should be to create an economy in which both employers and workers can succeed.
People create successful businesses
Over the years, I have had the privilege of building businesses across different sectors. Like every employer, I have experienced periods of growth, uncertainty and change.
What I have learned is simple: buildings do not create successful businesses. People do.
The people who welcome customers. The chefs and kitchen teams. The managers solving problems. The apprentices learning new skills. The cleaners who arrive before everyone else. The delivery drivers, accountants, receptionists and administrators.
Every member of a team contributes to success.
When people feel respected and valued, businesses are better placed to provide good service, retain staff and build lasting relationships with customers. That is not only good management. It is good economics.
Why trade unions matter
Trade unions have played an important role in improving working conditions, promoting health and safety, giving employees a collective voice and helping working people secure fairer treatment.
Those achievements should be recognised.
Responsible trade unions also understand that successful businesses are essential to secure employment. Growing companies create more opportunities for workers. Investment creates opportunities for training and progression. Strong local economies provide the foundations for stronger communities.
This is why there is more common ground between responsible employers and responsible trade unions than political debate sometimes suggests.
Both want secure jobs. Both want productive workplaces. Both want investment, opportunity and long-term stability.
The challenge is building enough trust to work together, particularly when difficult decisions are required.
Productivity is a partnership
Britain’s productivity challenge cannot be solved simply by asking people to work harder.
Productivity improves when businesses invest in modern equipment, technology, skills, training and good management. It also improves when employees have a genuine voice in the workplace and understand how their contribution supports the success of the organisation.
Employers need confidence to invest. Workers need opportunities to develop. Trade unions need to be part of the conversation. Government must create the conditions in which those different interests can work together.
That is why economic policy should never treat business and labour as separate subjects. They are part of the same conversation.
Skills create opportunity
Skills are among the most important investments Britain can make.
Every apprentice represents a new opportunity. Every effective training programme can strengthen productivity. Every qualification can change someone’s future.
Businesses benefit from a workforce that is skilled and adaptable. Workers benefit from greater confidence, improved earnings and better career prospects. Colleges, universities, employers, local authorities and trade unions should therefore be encouraged to work together more closely.
The Government’s emphasis on Skills England and the Growth and Skills Levy is important, but implementation will matter. Small businesses must be able to access support without facing excessive bureaucracy or complex application processes.
Employment rights matter too. Strong rights should be matched by clear guidance and practical support, particularly for small employers who may not have specialist human-resources teams.
Fairness and clarity must go together.
A new politics of partnership
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has argued for a more collaborative economic model, with greater power outside Westminster and stronger partnerships between Government, business, workers and communities.
That approach should place local leaders and regional economies at the centre of national decision-making. The decision to establish a stronger Government presence in Manchester and revive the National Economic Council there sends an important message: economic growth should not be designed exclusively from London.
The Government’s engagement with organisations including the CBI, British Chambers of Commerce, Federation of Small Businesses, Make UK and Small Business Britain is also welcome. Businesses need certainty, faster decisions and a meaningful voice in policy-making. Workers and trade unions deserve the same seriousness.
The test will be whether consultation leads to delivery.
From announcements to action
The Government has announced measures to support small businesses, including action on late payments, improved access to finance, support for high streets and a greater role for SMEs in public procurement.
The commitment to increase direct Government spending with small and medium-sized businesses to more than £7.4 billion a year by 2028 could make a real difference, provided smaller firms can genuinely compete for contracts.
The Growth Guarantee Scheme and other finance measures are also valuable, particularly for businesses that are viable but struggle to secure affordable lending.
The planned 20 per cent reduction in business rates for pubs, social clubs and live-music venues from April 2027 is another welcome step. However, the wider business-rates system still needs reform so that independent businesses are not placed at a structural disadvantage compared with online competitors and large chains.
Support must be accessible, timely and designed around the realities of running a small business.
Shared prosperity
Economic growth has lasting value only when people feel its benefits.
Workers should have opportunities to progress. Businesses should have confidence to invest. Communities should experience regeneration. Young people should believe that hard work and talent can lead to a better future.
Successful businesses create jobs, support supply chains, pay taxes and help sustain the communities in which they operate. Those contributions help provide the broad tax base from which public services are funded.
That is why Labour should be proudly pro-worker and proudly pro-enterprise.
This does not mean weakening employment rights or giving business a blank cheque. It means building an economy in which fair treatment, responsible enterprise, strong businesses and good jobs reinforce one another.
Britain’s future will not be built by setting employers against workers. It will be built through partnership, investment, skills, trust and shared purpose.
When business and trade unions succeed together, working people, communities and the country succeed with them.