The image of the unions is still not in tune with where we actually are, which is fifty-fifty men and women, with an increasing number of women at the top. I think it is changing, but I’m not complacent about this. Frances O'Grady Read Quote
I came from a family where joining a union was the expected thing to do. I’ve always believed that the relationship between an employer and an individual worker is fundamentally unequal. Frances O'Grady Read Quote
Although there’s a lot of focus on the Lib Dems, we need to keep our eyes on the far right of the Tories, who I suspect will become increasingly impatient in their appetite for tax cuts, deregulation and shrinking the state even further. Frances O'Grady Read Quote
Britain is a textbook case of how growing inequality leads to economic crisis. The years before the crash were marked by a sharp rise in remortgaging and the growth of 0 percent balance transfer credit cards. By 2008 the UK had the highest ratio of household debt to GDP of any major economy. Frances O'Grady Read Quote
There is nothing that says unions have a God-given right to be there. We have to work at it and make ourselves relevant to every section of the workforce. Frances O'Grady Read Quote
RFK was a compelling figure because he was willing to challenge his audiences, and in turn connect with them in a unique way. Kennedy showed that our values define us and can inspire others to believe in the possibility of change and a better society. Frances O'Grady Read Quote
It is not natural or inevitable that half the world goes hungry; that the freedom of markets trumps protection of the planet; or that citizens’ rights come second to those of corporations. Frances O'Grady Read Quote
I cherish the creation of public space and services, especially health, housing and the comprehensive education system which dared to give so many of us ideas ‘above our station.’ Frances O'Grady Read Quote
I’d be happy to have regular face-to-face meetings at Downing Street with David Cameron to argue the case for alternative economic policies. Frances O'Grady Read Quote
The backwoodsmen are muttering about making Britain’s draconian union laws – already among the toughest in Europe – harsher still. And parts of the media will continue to attack public service pensions, as if school meals staff, refuse collectors and healthcare workers have no right to a decent retirement. Frances O'Grady Read Quote
