Our membership is diverse but we must remain connected

By Rab Noakes

As a trade union the Musicians’ Union is relatively unusual in that its membership is not predominantly workplace employees. Rather, it has a large community of individuals whose diverse needs are served by the union. The MU represents some 30,000 members in the UK.

There are always issues facing unions and the trade union movement, none less so in these current circumstances than the financial situation. As money becomes tighter, union subs may well be a casualty in many budgets as people’s outgoing funds come under pressure. Truth is, there is all the more reason to be in a union when times get tough. The union will protect income and conditions for all, whatever the financial conditions.

There is more to a trade union’s principles and activity than simply financial terms and conditions though. The trade union is a rallying point for all the diversities and wider socio-political contexts we dwell in. It is a place from which to stand up to those who will act against the potential of our multiple communities and nations.

The Executive Council of the Musicians’ Union has recently formed an Equalities sub-committee which will be a driver, and focus, of the many issues facing our membership and society as the 21st century unfolds. It will play a part in building the exciting, culturally rich Britain which is possible. It’s concerned with issues facing Minority Ethnic Members, Women, People with disabilities, People of various sexual orientations and any other ‘individualisms’. Who says there must be a default position for the norm against which all are measured?

One of the current issues occupying the Equalities sub-committee is the matter of many recordings made by our members in the past turning up on compilations for sale on the BNP’s retail site Excalibur. This is a difficult one to legislate on but the stealthy associations utilised by the BNP must always be challenged.

At this year’s STUC I spoke in favour of a motion in support of better treatment for Travelling communities. I feel, in the UK, we should remember and acknowledge the contribution made by all ethnic communities to our national cultures. We need pride in, and respect for, the diversity of all our cultures and beware of nationalism for its own sake.

Looking round STUC last week I couldn’t help but notice the predominance of male white faces. This isn’t a true representation of the Scottish nation. Our own EC, a great bunch of people representing many genres, is predominantly white male, average age over 50 (myself included). It is inclusion mechanisms that are needed in order to engage and involve the widest range of participation in trade union activities. We must create entry points to ensure the most diverse cultural and socio-economic representation. We have to be listening more to potential future participants. We get back what we put out so we have to be looking at a radical shift in the nature of the dialogue, now.

In music, there are also many issues which have global resonance. I was fortunate enough to attend the FIM (International Federation of Musicians) Congress in Johannesburg in September. There were delegates from all of the African nations which gave an insight into the global nature of many current issues. For instance, one of our welcoming speakers was Hugh Masekela who spoke of the difficulties faced by South African musicians in achieving airplay in their home country. Dedicated radio services in the townships are drowned out in the global marketplace and the international, recurrent pop repertoire prevails. Getting indigenous music space on the airwaves is a global concern. This may not seem a big issue now but it is an early warning of a homogenous universal culture emerging, delivered through commercial media, potentially followed by public media. We must make every effort to create international circumstances to protect local musicians livelihoods as well as national cultures.

So, the MU moves through the 21st century with renewed vigour and strategically connected, conscientious leadership. It is made up of a membership whose existence reaches beyond the demands of the workplace and terms and conditions. It is a vital component in the richness of the cultures of the UK.