Political funds are already subject to approval being given in regular ballots by unions.
The Tory manifesto said in vague terms that a Conservative government "would legislate to ensure trade unions use a transparent opt-in process for union subscriptions", but made no mention of the political levy.
The government is currently negotiating with unions over the tricky issue of retirement.
"The idea of unions seemed to me as old-fashioned as flares or the penny farthing," admits Stephen Beresford, who wrote Pride after hearing the true story of the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners group (LGSM).
Consistent with the education unions' recent calls for education secretary Michael Gove's resignation, negativity is highest among education leaders – nearly half say they oppose the government's agenda for their sector.
Dave Smith, the group's spokesman, said: "Hopefully by the BSG applying for core participant status, we will be able to guarantee that spying on trade unions and passing over information to private companies becomes a theme within the Pitchford inquiry".
Efforts to allow civil unions in Italy have caused political controversy.
"We are looking into the information gained by trade unions when it comes to McDonald's in order to assess if there is a case, or if we should open cases there," Vestager said.
Earlier in his career, while London-based, he was – along with his brother Leslie – a leading player in radicalising the civil service unions.
In Wales students and student unions this year submitted a petition to the Welsh Assembly calling for a consultation of the private rented sector.
Yet just a few years later, he was the most divisive figure in the coalition: it was not merely the unions expressing no confidence, but also the school heads and Lib Dem colleagues, with whom he had once got on especially well.
