The coronavirus lockdown is one of the greatest economic crises in generations. While the UK government has attempted to mitigate its impact through the Job Retention Scheme, almost 2 million people have still claimed Universal Credit since 16 March. And the situation is set to get even worse – with the Bank of England predicting that unemployment will double and the economy will shrink by 25% over the course of the year.

Recent weeks have seen regularly displays of support for ‘key workers’: NHS, supermarkets, public transport, food manufacturing, civil servants, carers, cleaners and postal workers to name a few. The praise they are receiving is long overdue. But the same thanks and recognition does not seem to be making its way to those who have fought for workers’ rights for decades, even when it wasn’t so popular with the public: namely, trade unions. In fact, one prominent Tory commentator took to Twitter today to attack them while claiming to support the NHS.

Trade unions have not had an easy ride since the 1970s. Often labelled outdated, and accused of “holding the country to ransom,” they have seen a drop in membership experienced as the impacts of deindustrialisation hit some of the country’s most important industries. But things seem to be changing.

Unions are experiencing something of a renaissance. Last year, the TUC reported that trade unions have experienced a rise in membership to 6.35 million members – the fourth year out of seven there had been a rise. Even before this crisis, 77 percent of people in Britain believed that trade unions were “essential” to protecting workers’ interests.

It seems increasingly like that trade unions will see an increase in membership following the huge impact that the coronavirus pandemic has had on jobs and employment. This is especially the case where workers facing difficulties at work – from loss of hours to being forced to return when conditions aren’t safe – seek to avail of their services. Since the government announced strict lockdown measures in March, trade unions have stepped in time and again to assist workers in accessing justice in their workplace. 

A recent example could be found in Scotland. In early April, one Unite the union rep awoke to find dozens of voicemails on his phone. Even with the government offering to pay 80% of workers’ wages, some companies were still refusing to furlough. Employees at Marriott – the largest and richest hotel chain in the world – turned to Unite Hospitality for support. 1,000 workers employed on zero-hour contracts received letters stating that the company’s position on furloughing them was “unclear” due to “significant cashflow problems” as a result of a drop in booking numbers.

This was a cynical move by a global conglomerate to throw their lowest-paid workers off the payroll by any means necessary. Workers joined Unite’s hospitality branch en masse to organise and demand access to the job retention scheme. They conducted conference calls, wrote open letters to Marriott’s European manager and carried out online actions, first across Britain but then globally too, cooperating with other workers from Nairobi to San Francisco. It was this threat to launch a global campaign demanding action that forced the company to capitulate and furlough all 5,500 of its UK workers. The union is now continuing the fight – demanding that the company tops up the additional 20% of its employee’s wages and gives them access to tips.

Glasgow based serial offenders The G1 Group, owned by multi-millionaire Stefan King also attracted criticism in mid-March. The company announced that it was sacking all workers who had been employed for less than two years. Workers from luxury venues such as The Corinthian Club were told by text message in some cases that their jobs had gone, and were expected to leave without any notice. Following a campaign led by the workers with support from Unite Hospitality and Better Than Zero, that company also folded – and rehired the workers it had sacked through the job retention scheme.

These are just a small selection of the important campaigns fought and won by unions since the crisis began – and in Scotland alone. Other shocking breaches of terms and conditions include workers at the Coylumbridge Hotel in Aviemore being sacked and evicted from their accommodation in mid-March with immediate effect following the outbreak. After more organised pressure involving trade unions, the hotel’s umbrella company relented – and said that they were evicted due to an “admin error.”

While many will clap workers tonight, none will have fought for them as hard as trade unions. They campaigned for a pay increase for nurses when the Tory government refused. They have organised hospital cleaners to resist poverty pay and outsourcing. They have defended a postal service that delivers to all parts of the country with workers who are paid properly. When bin workers in Birmingham were blacklisted for speaking out against their conditions – it was unions who fought for them. They have also campaigned against zero-hour contracts and for a living wage.

These stories show the invaluable role trade unions play in our society. We cannot rely on big businesses to treat workers fairly, especially in the midst of a crisis. After all, major corporations make billions of pounds of profit every year from the hard work of people on minimum wage. It is these low-paid workers who keep our economy moving today. They have no better friends than trade unions.