In Britain today there are almost 23 million people in paid employment. Most of them spend up to a quarter of their lives at work - longer, on average, than anywhere else in Europe.
Work can be satisfying, enjoyable and rewarding and most employers treat their workers fairly.
But some do not and even the best can make mistakes. That is where unions come in. On your own you cannot always defend yourself to your best advantage. Not only that - the time when you really need the expertise of a trade union is when you least expect it. Normally life goes on as usual then, suddenly, you are faced with either injustice, redundancy, injury or illness.