Industrial strategy goes to the heart of the debate about the future of a modern Europe. The extent to which governments can, should or must intervene in the affairs of industry continues to take centre stage in discussions about the future of the European project.

In the UK, government intervention was an accepted part of the post war economic consensus, which lasted until 1979. In that year, Margaret Thatcher adopted a laissez faire approach to industrial matters, arguing that the role of government should be kept to a minimum. Politicians, so the argument went, are not good at spotting which industries or businesses will be most successful, or most economically important, in the future.

TUC Economic and Social Affairs Department

Greening the Workplace aims to encourage trade unions to tackle the growing challenge of climate change, by using our influence for good at work, in our own organisations, through contacts with Government, and internationally.

Our insatiable demand for energy and resources – to do our jobs, light and heat our homes, travel, and in our leisure activities - is driving climate change towards dangerous and unpredictable events. Climate change is the greatest threat to our sustainable future on this planet. Yet none of this is beyond our control, if we act now, and act together.

This is a TUC policy document looking at short-termism in the relationship between companies and their investors. It looks at issues such as the continuing failure of British businesses to invest and their predisposition to grow via mergers and acquisitions, the pressure pension fund trustees put on fund managers and how this is transmitted to companies, and the aggregate results of short-termism such as the misallocation of workers' capital as occured during the stockmarket bubble.