Church of England will work with trade unions to hold business to account, Archbishop of Canterbury says

Ahead of speech to TUC conference, Justin Welby says he wants to 'form new links' with unions to create 'fair and prosperous society'

The Church of England will work with Britain’s trade unions to hold businesses to account, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.

Speaking ahead of a major speech to the Trades Union Congress conference in Manchester, Justin Welby said he wanted to work with unions to “make sure the needs of people are put at the centre” of companies’ agenda.

Mr Welby said Christians should be “sceptical of accumulations of power” and that he wanted to “form new partnerships” with unions.

The Archbishop, who previously worked in the oil industry, will address the 150th TUC Congress on Wednesday.

In an interview with the official congress guide ahead of his speech, he said: “Holding businesses to account and making sure the needs of people are put at the centre is vital.

“Many of us have a role to play here – and unions are an integral part of this. Employers in every sector need unions, to keep them doing justice. And unions need employers who are just.”

Mr Welby admitted he thought some union members would greet him “with a certain amount of scepticism” but said he wanted the church to “form new partnerships with the TUC” and other groups “right across the political spectrum”.

“I’m looking forward to exploring together how we can inform the kind of fair and prosperous society we want to live in,” he said.

Claiming trade unions share the same values of Jesus, he added: “The TUC grew out of the need to come together and defend vulnerable and oppressed workers against overmighty and cruel employers. It is one expression amongst many of what it means to value human beings and care for human dignity.

“Trade unions are one of the civil society institutions essential to the aim of solidarity, the common good and fully valuing all people regardless of differences in nature and capacity”.

And highlighting the role Christian socialists played in establishing the Labour Party and trade unions, he said: “The church at its best has been a passionate supporter of those who are oppressed. God cares for those in need and expects those who claim to act in his name to do the same.

“At the same time, as followers of Jesus we are – as he was – sceptical of accumulation of power, wherever they are found. That applies to all institutions. It is essential to stay connected and stay accountable.”

Mr Welby also hinted that the church could still change its policy to support marriage, saying the institution was “looking again at every aspect of understanding of identity, including especially sexuality”.

Last week, the archbishop called for higher taxes to help fix the “unjust” economy.

He will address the TUC after the Church of England adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which has been at the heart of the row engulfing Labour in recent weeks.

Speaking out on the issue last week, Mr Welby appeared to take a swipe at the Labour leadership by praising the party’s MPs and peers for backing the internationally recognised definition of antisemitism “without any riders or caveats of any kind”.

In contrast, Labour’s National Executive Committee agreed to adopt the definition after months of pressure but insisted on also issuing a statement clarifying that doing so would not prevent legitimate criticism of Israel.