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12 September 2011
Last updated at 19:53 ET
Labour leader Ed Miliband will say his party's link with the trade unions is strong enough to survive disagreements, in a speech to the TUC conference.
Mr Miliband, who angered some unions in June by criticising strikes over pensions, will say: "What unites us is greater than what divides us".
He will also say "wealth creation" must be rewarded but inequality cannot be ignored.
Unions are gathering in London this week for the annual TUC conference.
The Labour leader will address delegates on Tuesday, with a wide-ranging speech covering economic policy and Labour's relationship with the trade unions.
Strikes row Unions currently provide more than 80% of Labour's funding and Mr Miliband was elected party leader last year, narrowly beating his brother David, thanks to the votes of trade unions and affiliated societies.
But he is thought to be planning to reduce their voting power at Labour conferences.
And he angered some within the union movement this summer by saying strikes by four unions against public sector pension changes were wrong while negotiations were continuing.
Mary Bousted, leader of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said that was "a disgrace".
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
In a speech on Tuesday, Mr Miliband will defend his stance, telling delegates: "Of course there are times when you and I will disagree. You will speak your mind and so will I. Our link is secure enough, mature enough, to deal with disagreement.
"The relationship between party and unions is not about romance or nostalgia, it is about respect and shared values. It is a relationship in which we listen to each other when we disagree and we always know that what unites us is greater than what divides us."
In what Labour is billing as his biggest speech on the economy since becoming leader, Mr Miliband is also expected to say: "Unless we are willing to challenge many of the assumptions on which economic policy has been based for a generation, we will fail the next generation."
He will say financial services are important and will continue to be so - but Britain's economic base must be broadened and "irresponsibility of bankers" must be tackled.
Industrial action And he will say while "decent jobs at decent wages" will be Labour's priority, entrepreneurship and "wealth creation" need to be rewarded and inequality between the richest and poorest - and for the "squeezed middle" - must be tackled.
Mr Miliband is also expected to say that Labour would have had to make tough spending decisions if it had been re-elected and will say that the previous Labour government did not spend every penny wisely.
Plans to co-ordinate industrial action against changes to public sector pensions will be discussed on Wednesday.
On Monday, TUC chief Brendan Barber said there was a "real prospect of more industrial action with a wider group of unions" in the coming months over public sector pensions but he added: "I hope we can avoid that by reaching a fair, reasonable agreement" on public sector pensions reform. But he said the government would need to make some "pretty strong new moves" on the issue.
And others warned of "civil disobedience" if anti-union laws are brought in - Len McCluskey, general secretary of unite, said: "If tax avoidance is lawful and unpunished, let's plan for anti-union law avoidance in the same spirit."
No government ministers are speaking at the conference at Congress House, the TUC's headquarters.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said the calls for industrial action were "disappointing" while talks with the unions on pensions are ongoing.
She said talks with the unions on pensions are progressing well, adding: "We are sitting round the table talking about difficult issues and we want to make sure that public sector pensions are generous but affordable."
Labour has not said whether it will back a fresh round of strikes in the autumn, but shadow chancellor Ed Balls has said he believed the TUC had acted "in a very responsible way" over the pensions talks despite "inflammatory statements" by government ministers.
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Mr Miliband, who angered some unions in June by criticising strikes over pensions, will say: "What unites us is greater than what divides us".
He will also say "wealth creation" must be rewarded but inequality cannot be ignored.
Unions are gathering in London this week for the annual TUC conference.
The Labour leader will address delegates on Tuesday, with a wide-ranging speech covering economic policy and Labour's relationship with the trade unions.
Strikes row Unions currently provide more than 80% of Labour's funding and Mr Miliband was elected party leader last year, narrowly beating his brother David, thanks to the votes of trade unions and affiliated societies.
But he is thought to be planning to reduce their voting power at Labour conferences.
And he angered some within the union movement this summer by saying strikes by four unions against public sector pension changes were wrong while negotiations were continuing.
Mary Bousted, leader of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said that was "a disgrace".
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
Unless we are willing to challenge many of the assumptions on which economic policy has been based for a generation, we will fail the next generation”
End Quote
Ed Miliband
Labour leader
In a speech on Tuesday, Mr Miliband will defend his stance, telling delegates: "Of course there are times when you and I will disagree. You will speak your mind and so will I. Our link is secure enough, mature enough, to deal with disagreement.
"The relationship between party and unions is not about romance or nostalgia, it is about respect and shared values. It is a relationship in which we listen to each other when we disagree and we always know that what unites us is greater than what divides us."
In what Labour is billing as his biggest speech on the economy since becoming leader, Mr Miliband is also expected to say: "Unless we are willing to challenge many of the assumptions on which economic policy has been based for a generation, we will fail the next generation."
He will say financial services are important and will continue to be so - but Britain's economic base must be broadened and "irresponsibility of bankers" must be tackled.
Industrial action And he will say while "decent jobs at decent wages" will be Labour's priority, entrepreneurship and "wealth creation" need to be rewarded and inequality between the richest and poorest - and for the "squeezed middle" - must be tackled.
Mr Miliband is also expected to say that Labour would have had to make tough spending decisions if it had been re-elected and will say that the previous Labour government did not spend every penny wisely.
Plans to co-ordinate industrial action against changes to public sector pensions will be discussed on Wednesday.
On Monday, TUC chief Brendan Barber said there was a "real prospect of more industrial action with a wider group of unions" in the coming months over public sector pensions but he added: "I hope we can avoid that by reaching a fair, reasonable agreement" on public sector pensions reform. But he said the government would need to make some "pretty strong new moves" on the issue.
And others warned of "civil disobedience" if anti-union laws are brought in - Len McCluskey, general secretary of unite, said: "If tax avoidance is lawful and unpunished, let's plan for anti-union law avoidance in the same spirit."
No government ministers are speaking at the conference at Congress House, the TUC's headquarters.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said the calls for industrial action were "disappointing" while talks with the unions on pensions are ongoing.
She said talks with the unions on pensions are progressing well, adding: "We are sitting round the table talking about difficult issues and we want to make sure that public sector pensions are generous but affordable."
Labour has not said whether it will back a fresh round of strikes in the autumn, but shadow chancellor Ed Balls has said he believed the TUC had acted "in a very responsible way" over the pensions talks despite "inflammatory statements" by government ministers.
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