Partnerships between governments and the private sector can also be beneficial to the union movement, says the former head of one of the most powerful unions in the United Kingdom.

All parties in public-private partnerships, or P3s, can benefit from union co-operation, says Lew Adams.

Adams, who spoke recently in Vancouver, is the former secretary general of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF).

In his role as trade union president, Adams fought with the British government for many years to protect the rights of his workers. But after witnessing massive job losses and widespread deterioration of rail services, he began to accept the idea that a partnership between government and the private sector could potentially be beneficial to union members.

"I did not come easily to the beliefs that I hold at the present time," he told members of the Vancouver Board of Trade at the Pan Pacific Hotel.

"But now I know that trade unions are a stakeholder in the issues of (P3s) and private sector involvement in public projects.”

Adams believes the lessons he learned after many years with the ASLEF are applicable to union members in Canada today.

Adams' speech was sponsored by the Canadian Council for Public Private Partnerships, a not-for-profit organization with a mandate to generate discussion on the values of P3s without advocating individual projects.

"A cross-Canada poll conducted by Environics showed that six out of 10 Canadians in principle had no difficulty with their government working with the private sector in the delivery of goods and services," Dale Richmond, president of the council, told the audience. "Canadians seem to prefer to get on with building infrastructure rather than getting caught in any ideological argument.”

Opportunities for P3s are widely available in this country, Adams noted.

"I'm regularly told that Canada needs money for investment in infrastructure," he said. "You'd have to be a bit of a fool to sit back and watch it all fall down. I'd rather watch my members working and the job get done in a public-private partnership.”

When initiating public projects, the biggest problem governments face is financing, Adams said. "Quality is not always the cheapest option. You don't get something for nothing - governments pay high interest when borrowing the large amounts required for quality public projects.”

In a P3, the private sector takes on some of the initial financial risks.

He cited an example from his own country. Before privatization efforts got under way, "BritRail had a plan to refurbish all the bridges in the U.K., but was unable to allot sufficient money to the project," he said. "With the money they were able to put in, the final bridge would be renewed in 800 years time.”

In 1993, when the private sector stepped in, the U.K.

rail system was in crisis, facing huge job losses and cutbacks in service.

Adams attributed new growth in his country's rail systems to private-sector involvement.

"Since 1995, we are now running 1,700 more trains per day," he said.

"Now we've got stability and we've got planning as a result of the movement from the public to the private sector. Before that, when we saw a problem in the public sector, we either threw money at it or we shut it down.”

In his years as union head with the ASLEF, Adams said his biggest concern for his members was job security. "You need to recognize the fears that trade unionists have," he said. "Governments need to regulate and protect members of trade unions.”

For their part, unions have got to be able to express their concerns and engage in meaningful dialogue to get past the initial resistance to privatization, Adams said. Concerns can also include safety issues, the protection of conditions of service and pensions.

When the transfer to a P3 took place in the rail industry in Britain, Adams' union worked hard to ensure that uniform principles applied across the board, and any jobs transferred into the private sector had all pensions and conditions of service protected.

While there are currently nearly 800 P3s under way in the United Kingdom, Adams acknowledged that there is still some opposition from unions in that country. However, the success of existing projects such as the rail service has done much to change people's minds.

"It's just not an argument any more. Regulation is the order of the day - the government sets the rules and the private sector does the building.”

Adams sees a wealth of opportunity for P3s in this country and says he would welcome the opportunity to talk about public-private partnerships with union groups in Canada.

"Politicians, business and unions all have a part to play," he added. "Government and business both need to show they have a social conscience. Everyone needs to listen to one another.”

Karen Dyer can be reached at karen@businessedge.ca)