With Len McCluskey, general secretary of the union Unite, keen to ensure ‘his’ members choose the next Labour leader, and the rail union RMT planning a full-blown strike, the trade unions are again doing what they do best. The Romans knew how to handle them.
Romans were always suspicious of gatherings of people on the grounds that they might foment trouble. Nevertheless, from early times, collegia (‘legal unions’) had been allowed to develop. All had different functions, but one branch was a form of trade guild. Their purpose was not to improve workers’ conditions but to foster goodwill and general friendliness among members. Some acted largely as dining clubs or burial clubs, ensuring members were bid farewell with all due ceremonial and their memory preserved. Many attracted wealthy senators as patrons, who could benefit politically from the connection.
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