There is no name more replete with irony than Unite, the super-union that was meant to be created from the merger of the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) and Amicus. The scene was set on the day of the launch: Derek Simpson, the leader of Amicus, did not turn up. So acrimonious are relations between Mr Simpson and Tony Woodley, of the TGWU, that, though formal plans were laid out in May last year, the executive council has now postponed the adoption of the new rule book until May of this year. There are whispers that the TGWU would like to pull out altogether.

One of the points of contention is the allegation that Mr Simpson is rather too fond of the perks of the job for the leader of the country's largest private sector union, many of whose 2.1million members will be fearful for their jobs. A pay rise of 17 per cent, paid-for housing and a penchant for taking helicopters to the Glastonbury festival have all added to the animus. Now, Mr Simpson faces a threat to his position after a legal challenge to his plans to stay on beyond retirement age.

Behind the immediate farce lies a strategic failure. Trade union mergers are defensive moves in the face of declining overall membership. About 50 per cent of all workers were members of a trade union in 1980. Today less than a third carry a union card. Worse, most of the employment growth comes today in the private sector where only 15 per cent of employees are union members. The decline of the nine-to-five labour market ought to be an opportunity for an imaginative trade union leadership. Instead, it has largely retreated into received ideological wisdoms and political posturing.

The other reason for the decline of trade unionism in Britain is precisely its previous success. The more that statutory recognition, for which trades unions have campaigned, has been granted, the less need there is for a voluntary organisation to do the collective bargaining. The minimum wage now puts a legal floor under pay, working time is regulated, maternity pay guaranteed and individuals have a list of legally enforceable labour rights. With so much now protected by the law, the trades union needs to find another role. The better among them are already offering financial, legal and personal advice to members. They might get involved, along with employers, in skills academies. The union learning representatives have been a good innovation, encouraging members to go back to college. Unions could help members with important choices outside the workplace, by assisting them to navigate public services more effectively.

But, instead of thinking creatively about its future, the best Unite can offer its members is an unseemly squabble. If the current debacle does not scupper the merger entirely, there are still plans for a single leader when Tony Woodley steps down at the end of this year. The hierarchy does, in fact, contain some talent. The Coyne brothers, Kevin and Gerard, are moderate, articulate and properly focused on getting a good and durable deal for their workers.

In a tough time for capital a clear voice for labour is essential. The trade unions are Britain's largest voluntary organisations. This is no time for their managers to think about themselves. Shouldn't they be looking after the workers?