Frances O'Grady
The Catalyst
Ideas with a spark, energy, range and the ability to start things.
Frances O'Grady is a prominent trade union leader advocating for workers' rights and social justice. This interview highlights her focus on empowering workers through training and her commitment to addressing the challenges posed by economic changes.
“No, one of the women we spoke to in our survey talked about her last day of work, the boss saying his only regret was that he hadn't taken her to the store cupboard and raped her. Now somebody might describe that as a joke. I suspect the look on her face was that she was upset and frightened.”
“Vans turn up, I think. So that hasn't changed, and the fact that we've got new technology being used to deploy those sorts of forms of exploitation is nothing new. But what I think it does mean is that unions have a big challenge. We've got our 150th anniversary as a TUC coming up next year.”
“Well, the day after the referendum, I was very clear that we accepted the result. We're leaving the EU. But I called for a Team UK approach. I suggested that there should be a cross-party negotiating team that included representatives from business and trade unions because the country, it seems to me, is still pretty bitterly divided.”
“Oh we are now 50 50 men and women in terms of our membership. You look around the general council table four in 10 of our leaders around that table are women. We need more women, don't get me wrong, the job isn't done. And, you know, and I think that's important because I think we do have to reflect the real world out there.”
Political Thinking with Nick Robinson — The Frances O'Grady One
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