Reading the British press, you might think that the roles in the class struggle had swapped. Rarely do the tabloids even mention trade unions without making dark references to the “union bosses” who supposedly order workers around. The word “bosses” is never applied to actual capitalists, for they are instead portrayed as job creators whose efforts are thwarted by overmighty unions. Particularly demonized is the Unite union’s leader, Len McCluskey. The man the papers call “Red Len” is not only Britain’s most prominent trade unionist but a figure often painted as “pulling the strings” behind the Labour Party.

The unions who founded Labour at the turn of the twentieth century don’t really dominate it the way that the Sun or the Daily Mail would have us believe. Certainly, trade unions do need a political voice in a land of harsh anti-strike laws. But there’s also much more to organized labor than its ties to Labour. As McCluskey reminds us in his new book, Why You Should Be A Trade Unionist, unions combine their political role with their day-to-day work of building up workplace protections, responding to ill-treatment and exploitation with solidarity and collective action.

Following the launch of his new book, the Unite general secretary spoke with Alex Doherty of Tribune Radio’s “Politics Theory Other” podcast. They discussed McCluskey’s own life as a trade unionist, the unions’ efforts to uphold a spirit of social solidarity, and the reasons why working people have to count on our own strength rather than rely on liberal politicians to save us.