Carried motions
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Motion 48 Standing up for care workers

Received from: Unison

Congress is alarmed by the ongoing crisis in adult social care across the UK

Congress notes that there are 150,000 vacancies in the sector, with thousands of elderly and disabled people not receiving the levels of support they need, while extractive providers continue to bleed profits from the system.

Congress believes this crisis has been caused by a toxic combination of years of chronic underfunding, privatisation and workforce exploitation.

Congress notes that employment in the sector is frequently insecure and largely underpaid, often illegally so. Proper sick pay remains elusive for thousands of care workers, along with training and progression opportunities. Congress is particularly alarmed at the exploitation of the migrant workforce.

Given these problems, Congress welcomes plans in the Labour manifesto to establish a Fair Pay Agreement in adult social care to set fair pay, terms and conditions, along with training standards.

Congress also welcomes wider plans to create a national care service, underpinned by national standards.

Congress believes it is essential that the sector is sustainable and that this requires removing profit from care and increasing council provided care. Unions must hold Labour to account on its plans to ensure providers behave responsibly.

Congress therefore calls on the General Council to:
i. support the development of a Fair Pay Agreement in adult social care
ii. campaign for a credible workforce strategy and an end to the exploitation of migrant workers
iii. work with other organisations in the sector demanding change and the development of a national care service.

UNISON

AMENDMENT

After the fourth paragraph, insert:
“Congress also believes that there is a need for drastic improvements to pension schemes in the sector. Employer contributions must rise to encourage retention of the workforce and make it a more desirable and long-lasting career for new entrants.”
In bullet point ii. after “campaign for a credible workforce strategy” insert “including high-quality training,” Add new final bullet point:
“iv. support campaigns for pension improvements”
GMB

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C11 Public services

Received from: CSP, PCS

Comprising of Motion 49 and amendment, Motion 50 and Motion 51 and amendment

Congress congratulates all unions that took part in industrial action over the last two years in response to a continuous policy of pay restraint in the public sector, which has had catastrophic consequences for the living standards of public sector workers.

Congress welcomes the concessions secured but recognises that there is some way to go to restore living standards to where they should be.

Government has a crucial opportunity to rebuild high-quality public services, and to renew their purpose.

Health inequity is soaring. People in the most deprived communities can expect to enjoy considerably fewer years in good health than the most affluent – and trends are set to widen.

Congress recognises that after over a decade of austerity and the ravages of a pandemic, many public services are on their knees.

Those public services rely on a committed workforce of millions of public servants. For too long the public sector has been viewed by government as a second-class employment choice, subject to pay restraint and an ideological opposition to flexible working and innovation.

Congress notes the findings of the report by Dr Mark Williams, commissioned by PCS, which confirms that civil service wages were five per cent above average in the 1970s and 1980s but are now 10 per cent below average; and that pay levels have fallen by an average of 1.5 per cent per year since 2011. Congress agrees that pay restoration in the public sector should be a key feature of our campaigning with the new government.

All public organisations should be empowered to act – tasked with eliminating inequalities through their services, and from their workforce.

However, public services will not be able to play this enhanced role in their current threadbare condition; the impact of austerity remains with us.

Congress welcomes the commitments from the new Labour government to rebuild our public services, but if those public services are to thrive then they need to attract the best talent, whilst retaining and motivating those who have already committed their lives to public service.

Congress notes the election of a Labour government on a manifesto committing to economic growth, improving public services, and making work pay. In order to assist in making that a reality, Congress agrees to campaign for:

i. radical improvements to collective bargaining structures and coverage across the economy, particularly in the public sector

ii. national minimum standards across all sectors on pay and terms and conditions

iii. a rise in the national minimum wage that ends in-work poverty

iv. an end to pay discrimination

v. job security agreements and urgent measures to address staff shortages, resultant excessive workload and poor wellbeing of staff across the public sector

vi. removal of obstacles for trade unions to organise.

Election analysis from the Nuffield Trust found both main parties’ election manifestos would – if realised – result in the tightest spending growth in the NHS’ history. The public sector needs a long-term funding settlement. One that as an immediate priority:

a. delivers timely, fair pay for all workers

b. establishes genuine involvement of unions in pay setting mechanisms

c. prioritises delivery of a long-term workforce strategy.

This would help settle the recruitment and retention crisis across the sector, empowering services to act; and materially benefit public sector workers, who have seen decades of real term pay cuts.

Congress calls on the TUC to work with the new government to pursue an ambitious partnership agenda for public services rejuvenation and pay recovery.

Congress welcomes the proposals from the General Council for a Public Sector Workforce Commission, comprised of trade unions, employers, government and independent experts to develop comprehensive, cross government strategic workforce plans and a Public Sector Workforce unit to oversee delivery.

If the public sector is to be a career of choice, then any new deal must include:

1. pay reform that delivers competitive pay for the skills required and confidence that any mechanism for determining pay will deliver fair outcomes over the longer term

2. a flexible working offer that can help attract and retain talent, is not bound by ideological baggage, offering work life balance whilst delivering high-quality public services

3. greater flexibility to work between sectors, enhancing careers and sharing experience

4. a public sector wide strategy to celebrate the value of public service and rewarding careers that it offers.

5. a public sector wide approach to health and wellbeing to address the high rates of stress and burnout that our members are currently reporting to make the public sector a safe place to work.

Mover: Public and Commercial Services Union
Seconder: Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
Supporters: FDA, Educational Institute of Scotland, Royal College of Podiatry

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C12 Fair pay and terms and conditions for NHS staff

Received from: BDA, RCM

Comprising Motion 52 and amendment and Motion 53

More and more NHS employers are using staff on bank contracts to plug in the gaps created by staff shortages. Insights show that the flexibility of bank contracts has been attractive for workers who may not be able to get flexible working in permanent employment with the NHS.

But this flexibility comes at a cost. There is no obligation for employers to provide work and the pay and terms and conditions for those on bank contracts doesn’t necessarily match those on substantive employment contracts with the NHS. Pay rises awarded to NHS Agenda for Change employees do not automatically apply to bank staff. Staff on bank contracts don’t get the same opportunity to access training and development as their colleagues directly employed by the NHS.

Bank contracts are effectively zero-hours contracts.

Congress recognises that the NHS is currently facing a crisis, with shortages of staff, including dietitians, impacting the quality of care and resulting in a workforce that feels undervalued and overstretched. Fair pay for NHS staff is crucial to address these challenges, ensure safe staffing levels, and provide high-quality patient care.

Congress notes that investing in the NHS workforce can lead to significant economic returns, with every £1 invested generating £4 in wider economic benefit.

A recent RCM poll of members revealed that midwives across England, Scotland and Wales work 136,000 extra unpaid hours a week to keep services running safely.

Extensive use of bank staff is not a sustainable and efficient way of managing staff shortages in the NHS in the medium and long term. Congress notes that workers with protected characteristics or caring responsibilities are more likely to be working on insecure and inferior bank contracts.

Congress calls on the TUC to:

i. support health unions to negotiate pay and terms and condition for bank staff across the NHS

ii. campaign to make flexible working the default in every NHS trust across the country

iii. campaign for fair pay for extra hours worked in the NHS.

iv. work to enable bank workers to participate fully in union structures

v. campaign to make the principles of the New Deal a reality for those on bank contracts

Congress is concerned that:

a. NHS staff vacancies remain high at over 100,000 in England alone

b. public sector wage growth lags behind the private sector, with NHS pay falling significantly in real terms

c. cost of living increases have eroded recent pay rises, hitting the lowest-paid staff hardest

d. 44.8 per cent of NHS staff reported feeling unwell due to work-related stress in 2022

e. the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan relies on ambitious assumptions around productivity, retention, and recruitment, but lacks a serious pay strategy.

Congress calls on the TUC to work with NHS unions to ensure that the government:

1. implements an above-inflation pay rise for all NHS staff in 2024/25 as a first step to addressing real-terms pay decline

2. allocates specific funding to unblock pay barriers to career progression

3. commits to a clear timeline for restoring NHS pay to competitive levels

4. rejects divisive proposals for a separate pay spine for nurses and improve Agenda for Change to benefit all staff equitably, instead.

Mover: Royal College of Midwives
Seconder: British Dietetic Association
Supporter: UNISON

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Motion 57 Freedom to speak up: protections for NHS whistleblowing

Received from: HCSA

We must make the health service safer, before the next patient safety scandal. 70 per cent of hospital doctors believe it is not possible to raise patient safety concerns without detriment to their careers. This brings into sharp focus the need for sweeping reform to protect those who report safety concerns.

Congress recognises endemic failures by some NHS employers to seriously address internal disclosures. Even worse, those who speak out are all too often branded ‘troublemakers’. Trade unions support many members who have been victimised after raising the alarm. Victimisation frequently devastates careers and lives.

In 2019, Congress endorsed the position that an independent national whistleblowing agency outside of the NHS must be established to protect those who speak up. Within the NHS, we must champion stronger governance to facilitate a cultural change from top to bottom. It is also time for detriment of those who speak up at work to be considered a criminal act. This would represent a powerful deterrent against victimisation.

Congress calls on General Council to campaign for:

i. an independent whistleblowing agency

ii. a new criminal offence of causing detriment to those who make protected disclosures

iii. a duty on NHS governing boards to monitor whistleblowing cases with individual members held to account for enforcement.

Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association

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Motion 58 Ethical government

Received from: FDA

Congress recognises that we have been through a period, almost unprecedented in modern history, of constitutional and ethical malaise in government.

From the prorogation of Parliament to ministerial bullying, the sacking of senior civil servants and Partygate to the betting scandal in the final few days of the government.

Standards in government matter. The seven principles of public life – selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership – also known as The Nolan Principles, have no value if they are not championed by our most senior elected politicians.

Congress welcomes the new Labour government’s commitment to establish an ethics and integrity commission with an independent chair as well as proposals to drive up standards in government, the Commons and the Lords.
Congress recognises that if standards are to be raised, then they must be enforced by robust, politically impartial regulators.

Congress therefore calls on the general council to lobby the new government for:

i. reform of the ministerial code to separate the regulation of conduct of ministers from elements which relate to the conduct of government business

ii. a fully independent body which will have the authority to independently investigate and determine outcomes of breaches of the ministerial code, free from political interference

iii. a strengthened Civil Service Commission with new powers to investigate and adjudicate on breaches of the civil service code in real time, and new powers of enforcement

iv. the new ethics and integrity commission to have oversight across govt and parliament on standards, with a duty to report annually and recommend improvements.

FDA

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Motion 59 Invest in our fire and rescue service

Received from: FBU

Congress welcomes the end of Tory-led Westminster governments that caused terrible damage to our fire and rescue service over 14 years.

Congress notes the Labour Party’s 2024 general election manifesto, which stated that “Labour will improve resilience and preparation across central government, local authorities, local communities, and emergency services. This includes formally working with all stakeholders in the fire and rescue services to inform policy and establish national standards.”

Congress further notes Labour’s commitment to “take decisive action to improve building safety, including through regulation, to ensure we never again see a repeat of the Grenfell fire”.

Congress also notes Labour’s Plan to Make Work Pay, which stated “Labour will ensure our plans do not undermine existing collective bargaining arrangements that are supported by unions.”

Congress welcomes the FBU’s Firefighters’ Manifesto, setting out a clear list of demands on the Westminster government to renew our fire and rescue service.

Congress demands from the Westminster government:

i. long-term, sustained investment in the fire and rescue service

ii. national standards of fire and rescue service emergency response

iii. a new UK-wide statutory body for fire policy and standards, to include the FBU

iii. learn the lessons from the Grenfell Tower fire

iv. bring the Fire Service College and Building Research Establishment into public ownership

v. independent governance arrangements for fire and rescue services, separate from police

vi. recognition of occupational cancers and diseases affecting firefighters.

Congress supports the FBU’s campaign of lobbies, rallies and UK-wide action.

Fire Brigades Union

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Motion 64 Education is the engine of national renewal

Received from: UCU

Congress notes:

i. Labour has set out plans for a decade of national renewal focused on the interests of working people.

ii. over a decade of brutal cuts to post-16 education and arts funding have stripped away opportunities for learning, skills development and cultural engagement, especially for those in marginalised communities.

Congress believes that post-16 education has a crucially important role to play in building careers, competencies and communities – all of which are central to the mission of national renewal. It is also vitally important in supporting the UK’s response to the challenges posed by climate change and technological advancement.

A publicly funded post-16 education sector is central to the renewal Labour has said they want to see, and that the UK so desperately needs.

Congress resolves to lobby the government for meaningful investment in all forms of post-16 education – whether in colleges, universities, community settings or prisons – for developing the skills and opportunities needed to make the ambition of national renewal a reality

University College Union

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C13 An inclusive education system

Received from: AEP

Comprising of Motion 65 and Motion 68

Congress promotes anti-racism, social justice and inclusion for everyone in society. These are values equally held by educational psychologists (EPs).

Congress notes that the UK’s education system is broken. There are far too many barriers facing our babies, children and young people today and their education should not be one of them.

Congress notes the escalating numbers of children and young people who experience a range of barriers to attending school. Nearly one in five children and young people of compulsory school age were classed as ‘persistently absent’ in the last autumn term, due to a range of reported reasons including illness and mental health difficulties.

Congress asserts that to ensure that all children and young people benefit from education, robust and evidence informed measures must be put in place. Congress further asserts that current punitive and judgemental approaches are not only unhelpful but harmful.

Educational psychologists have long been at the forefront of research into the barriers affecting school attendance and have further led the field in developing best practice in supporting affected children and young people, and their families.

EPs support babies, children and young people to thrive through their education and in their communities. However, the current system’s narrow curriculum, adversarial special educational needs provision and inadequate commitment to inclusion is limiting their education outcomes, mental health, wellbeing.

Congress demands reform of the education system, informed by the key experts in the field including EPs.   Congress calls for an education system that:

i. prioritises and enables inclusion for all
ii. promotes anti-racism

iii. provides early assessment, intervention and prevention

iv. ensures timely access to specialists like EPs in all settings.

Congress calls on the government to develop best practice, in collaboration with educational psychologists and other specialists in this field, to support all children and young people to access education.

Mover: Association of Educational Psychologists

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C14 No excuse for abuse – protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of school staff

Received from: EIS, NAHT

Comprising of Motions 66 and 67 plus amendment

Congress asserts that all workers should be protected from unsustainable expectations, foreseeable health and safety risks, and from violence and aggression in the workplace. It is unacceptable that thousands of school staff face these harms every day.

With a broken complaints and teacher regulation system in place schools are unable to defend members from blatant abuse.

There is no excuse for such abuse and it has to stop.

The last government deliberately eroded the relationship between schools and families by transferring their ineptitude and the effects of austerity on to schools.

In public pronouncements made in the media and in the House of Commons, families were encouraged to complain about schools rather than work with them.

As a consequence, the unspoken contract between home and school has broken in many places. This has seen a rise in the lack of support from home in maintaining discipline and a rise in the incidents of abuse against teachers, leaders and school staff.

Congress instructs the General Council to campaign for the protection of school staff from such abuse, alongside campaigns to protect other public sector workers.

Congress calls on the UK and devolved governments to:

i. provide additional funding for schools to enable

ii. safe, healthy and sustainable working environments for staff whose safety and wellbeing are put at risk daily due to insufficient resourcing

iii. increase capital investment in school buildings and facilities, to make them safer places for all, and resilient to the impacts of climate change within this parliamentary session and beyond. Urgently, capital investment must enable the installation of HEPA filters, ensuring at least six air changes per hour in all indoor learning spaces, and provide that no school in the UK has asbestos or RAAC within its fabric.

Congress further calls on the UK and devolved governments to work with recognised unions to:

a. ensure that all employers of school staff proactively exercise their statutory duty of care and take tangible, proactive steps to improve their health, safety and wellbeing, taking action before harm occurs

b. ensure greater use of risk assessments in schools, including those seeking to protect staff from risks to mental health arising from the inspection and other high stakes accountability processes, with bespoke risk assessments for every classroom, covering all significant potential hazards and ensuring the implementation of appropriate mitigations

c. reduce the workload of school staff, including by providing the requisite resources to effectively respond to all pupils’ needs in respect of learning and wellbeing, including those with additional support needs.

Mover: Educational Institute of Scotland
Seconder: National Association of Head Teachers
Supporter: National Education Union

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Motion 69 Health and safety in school buildings

Received from: Community

Congress notes that many of our school buildings are in a state of serious disrepair. Every day 700,000 pupils, together with their teachers and support staff, work in buildings that are past their design life are poorly maintained and potentially unsafe.

Congress further understands that Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) has been found in over 230 schools in England causing 100 schools to be closed, while surveys and remedial works took place. 119 schools will need one or more buildings to be completely rebuilt. The same is true of asbestos (although not used in constructions since 1999), around three-quarters of UK schools are reported to still contain asbestos.

Congress supports the call to create a central digital register of all asbestos in non-domestic buildings, describing its location and type and further calls upon the TUC to:

i. work with the government to create a national strategy for the planned removal of all asbestos containing materials. This includes identifying properties most in need of urgent action and clear guidance on the safe disposal of asbestos.

ii. work with employers to put in place routine air monitoring in schools containing asbestos so that we can understand and act on areas of high risk.

iii. work with key stakeholders to develop a strategy for the replacement of school buildings that are past their design life.

iv. increase investment in the school rebuilding programme (and future programmes) to ensure the school estate is safe and fit for purpose.

Community

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Motion 70 Prison education

Received from: UCU

Congress condemns:

i. the endemic low pay, poor career development, and poor health and safety facing prison educators

ii. the failure of the Ministry of Justice to recognise the appropriate trade unions for collective bargaining or to consult with prison educators in developing the new Prisoner Education Service.

Congress believes the current and proposed prison education contracts are fundamentally flawed.

Congress applauds the professionalism and commitment of all prison educators and especially those who have taken strike action to win improvements in pay and conditions.

Congress recognises the challenges facing Black prison educators as a minority (largely absent from leadership roles) educating disproportionately high levels of Black male prisoners within the prison population.

Congress calls on the General Council to pressure the new Labour government to:

a. return prison education to the public sector

b. develop a decolonised curriculum that speaks to and engages with the majority of prisoners

c. undertake a comprehensive review of the management of the prison education system

d. develop a national contract or prison educators including the application of the Fair Deal on Pensions

e. commit to develop promotion and career opportunities for Black prison educators

f. work with trade unions to improve outcomes and tackle discrimination.

University College Union

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C15 Attacks on the Teachers’ Pension Scheme

Received from: NAHT, NASUWT

Comprising of Motion 71 plus amendments

Congress condemns attempts by employers including the United Learning Trust (ULT) to encourage staff to leave the defined benefit Teachers’ Pension Scheme and other good-quality public sector pension schemes.

ULT argues that they will not make savings but will partially convert employer contributions to salary and pay the rest to contribution into a less stable and risk laden money purchase scheme.

The move is sold as providing choice. But alleviating financial hardship now and replacing that with future poverty is no choice at all.

Any attempt to undermine workers’ rights cannot go unchallenged.

Congress resolves to:

i. support the actions of the education unions in defence of their members’ futures

ii. instruct the General Council to provide all appropriate support to those affected during the ongoing campaign against removal from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

iii. lobby the government and the Pensions Regulator to take action against any employer that seeks to induce or incentivise public sector workers to opt out of public service pension schemes.

iv. demand that the government address loopholes which allow employers to withdraw or exclude staff from the scheme and provide additional funding for universities and adult education providers to cover the increased costs of employer contributions, in line with schools and colleges.

Mover: National Association of Head Teachers
Seconder: NASUWT
Supporter: University and College Union

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C07 Labour government and a progressive transport agenda

Received from: ASLEF, RMT

Comprising of Motion 28 and amendment and Motion 29
Congress welcomes Labour’s commitment to transport polices that will benefit transport users and workers.
Congress welcomes the opportunity that has been presented for the future of public transport, specifically the rail network, following the Labour Party’s victory in the general election and their pledge to create Great British Railways (GBR).

Congress applauds this important first step but believes an extended review of the railways is needed, inclusive of rolling stock ownership/procurement and both open access and rail freight operations.

Congress is concerned however that there are vested interests seeking to dilute and delay these polices.
Congress notes that the privatised nature of the rail freight sector often leads to a ‘race to the bottom’ as companies bid against each other to win contracts. This along with the economic downturn and erosion of British industry, including the cancelation of infrastructure works, issues in the steel sector and the slowdown in construction has unfortunately seen redundancies in rail freight.

However, rail freight plays a vital role in decarbonisation and efforts to achieve net zero, whilst also currently contributing £2.45bn in economic benefits to the UK. There is an opportunity for rail freight to be central to Labour’s plans on construction, infrastructure, economic growth and decarbonisation. Labour intends to create a statutory duty on GBR to promote the use of rail freight, with an overall growth target set by the Secretary of State, this could inadvertently encourage poor employment practices with a greater race to the bottom and undercutting between rail freight bidders. Congress therefore agrees the General Council will work with affiliates to campaign to ensure the delivery of a progressive transport agenda.

This includes:

i. the implementation of Labour’s proposals to take the train operating companies into public ownership and integrate rail operations with infrastructure into Great British Railways (GBR), creating a single employer. Congress also agrees to campaign to ensure GBR moves to end outsourcing, absorbs open access operations and rail freight, ends the profiteering of the rolling stock leasing companies and develops publicly owned rolling stock ownership and manufacturing

ii. public ownership and publicly controlled buses. Congress also agrees to campaign to ensure there is sufficient ring-fenced funding for local authorities to deliver this policy and reverse service cuts throughout the country

iii. increased funding for rail, metro bus and ferry networks, given Labour’s welcome acknowledgment that every pound spent on rail can create £2.50 in economic benefits and Labour’s commitment to set targets for modal shift to lower emissions from transport

iv. following the P&O Ferries scandal, implementation of Labour’s commitment to a mandatory seafarer’s charter in the ferry sector and also campaign for other measure to protect and improve maritime jobs, conditions and skills

v. establish a national maritime training organisation to centralise the training of all UK maritime professionals, whilst introducing 100 per cent SMarT funding for all UK rating and officer training and work to deliver the recommendations, in full, as provided by the Maritime Skills Commission.

Congress calls on the General Council to lobby the UK government for the expansion of publicly owned rail freight services eventually resulting in a fully renationalised rail freight sector.

Congress agrees to campaign for the full implementation of the New Deal within the public transport, maritime and offshore sector, including ending outsourcing and extending collective bargaining.

Mover: National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers
Seconder: Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen
Supporter: Nautilus International

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Motion 30 Turning the tide on merchant navy decline and support maritime employment

Received from: Nautilus

Congress notes that the merchant navy is the cornerstone of the UK’s maritime industry. Seafarers are vital to the UK’s economy, with 95 per cent of all goods that enter the UK doing so by sea.

Congress laments that fact that the number of UK resident seafarers and nationally registered vessels are at historic lows.

Congress condemns the continued corrosive impacts that flags of convenience have on the UK shipping industry and the practice of ‘social dumping’, as exemplified by P&O Ferries mass sacking on 17 March 2022 and Irish Ferries mass terminations in 2005.

Congress implores the UK government to protect our domestic shipping industry, to create good jobs and training and grow the UK flag by exploring implementing cabotage laws, including favourable public procurement policies for shipowners employing UK crew and operating UK registered vessels.

Congress also implores the UK government to commit to reforms to maritime training to make it more accessible through full funding, one national maritime training provider, and reforms to tonnage tax to grow the UK register and boost employment opportunities for home grown maritime professionals.

Congress further calls on the UK government to expand the scope for fair pay agreements beyond the social care sector, and fully into the wider world of work.

Congress calls on the TUC to:

i. actively support exploration of UK cabotage laws to protect and grow jobs for UK maritime professionals

ii. ensure any TUC consultation response on a procurement bill calls for favourable procurement for UK crewed and registered vessels.

Nautilus International

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Motion 32 The future of football and the need for player engagement

Received from: PFA

Congress supports the continued work of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) to ensure that players and their unions are properly and formally represented in decisions regarding the future of the game.

The PFA, working alongside fellow international player unions, is currently leading legal action against international governing bodies relating to growing issues around the overcrowded football calendar, excessive player workload, and how these conditions may breach employment law.

This is a situation that has developed due to the failure of governing bodies and competition organisers to engage with players and their unions.

Reforms to the governance of the English game, including the introduction of a new independent regulator, are also being taken forward.

Congress believes that, as with any regulated industry, the role and the rights of its primary employees must be properly recognised, with formal representation of players built into any future legislation.

Congress also believes that existing mechanisms which require there to be consultation and agreement in relation to any proposed changes to players’ rights, terms and conditions must be properly enshrined and protected as part of any reform to the future regulation of the game.

Professional Footballers’ Association

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C01 End of the hostile environment towards workers and unions

Received from: EIS, FBU

Comprising of Motions 01 and 02


This Congress calls on the recently elected UK government to realise its manifesto pledges in respect of workers’ rights to bring a swift end to the hostile environment that workers have experienced for the past few decades, that has resulted in poorer working conditions and falling living standards.

Congress further notes that Labour’s Plan to Make Work Pay committed to repealing the Trade Union Act 2016, the Minimum Service Levels (Strikes) Act and other anti-union legislation.

Congress recommits to the TUC’s longstanding policy for the repeal of all anti-union laws and for positive legal rights for trade unions.

Congress reiterates its opposition to the Minimum Service Levels (MSLs) legislation, which attempts to outlaw effective strike action in key unionised sectors of the workforce.

Congress deplores the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels: Fire and Rescue Services) (England) Regulations 2024, which came into force on 21 March 2024 and the fourth set of regulations to come into force after the first two were introduced on 7 December 2023 which included Passenger Railway Services Regulations.

Congress condemns these regulations, which state that fire and rescue control rooms and other firefighters must function during industrial action “as if it were a non-strike day”. Congress applauds the FBU’s campaign to persuade the devolved administrations, local fire authorities and the fire employers to refuse to issue work notices for MSLs. Further, Congress applauds ASLEF in successfully dissuading employers from using the Act after the threat of further strike action was tabled.

Congress demands that the new Westminster government immediately take urgent action to:

i. repeal the Trade Union Act 2016 removing the ballot thresholds required for industrial action, including the additional 40 per cent threshold applied to certain public sector workers, and the six-month limit for industrial action mandates, that have significantly undermined the ability of workers to advance and protect their interests

ii. repeal the 2023 Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act, with its fundamental attack on the ability of workers to take strike action

iii. remove other anti-union laws, including closing existing legal loopholes in the TULRA 1992 (identified in Mercer v Alternative Future Group) that allow employers to punish workers for strike action with sanctions short of dismissal, which was ruled incompatible with ECHR Article 11 and creates a detriment for those taking part in strike action

iv. outlaw zero-hours contracts to ensure that workers have greater job security

v. strengthen the role of trade unions in collective bargaining and ease the process of statutory recognition where employers do not recognise a trade union for collective bargaining purposes

vi. give all workers full employment rights from day one of employment, and to ensure that workers have accessible and effective routes to realise their rights

vii. legislate on a complete ban on ‘fire and rehire’ also called dismissal and re-engagement. This should include any potential loopholes, such as the use of fire and rehire for company restructuring.

viii. ensure workers across Britain are covered by the provisions of the full implementation of Labour’s New Deal for Working People and utilise all available avenues to continually drive-up employment rights.

Congress instructs the General Council to campaign vigorously to realise these aims and to hold the UK government to account until it does so.

Congress notes the Labour Party’s 2024 general election manifesto committed to implementing ‘Labour’s Plan to Make Work Pay: Delivering a New Deal for Working People’ in full – introducing legislation within 100 days. If the government has not legislated within the first hundred days, a special TUC congress will be called to discuss next steps.

Mover: Educational Institute of Scotland
Seconder: Fire Brigades Union
Supporters: Unite, Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, Public and Commercial Services Union, Communication Workers Union, Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen

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Motion 03 Repeal Section 127 Criminal Justice Public Order Act 1994

Received from: POA

Congress welcomes the Labour government’s New Deal for workers and is committed to ensuring that part of the manifesto is delivered in a timely manner. Congress welcomes the commitment from a Labour government to repeal the Trade Union Act 2016 and the Minimum Service Levels legislation, however Congress commits the General Council to campaign to also repeal Section 127 of the Criminal Justice Public Order Act 1994 which restricts prison officer grades in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from taking any form of industrial action and making it a criminal offence to do so or to induce that action.

Congress notes the right to strike is a fundamental human right under international law and that the POA have now been restricted for 30 years and find itself under a permanent injunction and contempt of court. This pernicious piece of legislation should and must be repealed given that there are no adequate compensatory mechanisms in place for resolving local and national disputes or effective mechanisms for resolving pay. Further, Congress welcomes the fact that the ECHR has accepted an application from the POA on these restrictions and a period of negotiations should take place as a first step between government and union as part of that application.

POA

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Motion 04 Ban upfront fees charged to performers by casting directories

Received from: Equity

Congress:

i. notes that, while the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 prohibits charging upfront fees to work-seekers in most industries, the performing arts and entertainment industries are exempt from this ban:

ii. recognises that performers and creative workers – and not engagers, casting directors or agents – pay significant fees, often in excess of £180 per year, for their inclusion in a casting directory, regardless of whether or not they obtain work; and

iii. notes that, during a cost-of-living crisis, this cost places a significant burden on workers in an industry already characterised by insecure work and unpredictable income.

Congress calls, therefore, on the TUC to:

a. support the repeal of this unfair exemption for the performing arts and entertainment industries and call for such casting directory fees to be borne by producers, not workers

b. lobby the government to bring forward legislation to remove the exemption.

Equity

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Motion 05 Migrant workers’ rights

Received from: ASLEF

This Congress believes that every worker should have the right to freely change employer, join a trade union, and negotiate for better pay and conditions.

Congress notes that the current Skilled Worker Visa scheme removes workers’ rights to freely change employer by tying the visa holder’s right to live and work in the UK to a specific job, while also deliberately holding down wages.

This scheme means migrant workers, particularly in construction and social care, are at huge risk of exploitation and unable to seek higher paid employment or even leave an exploitative job.

Restrictive visas give employers high levels of power over workers and complaining or trying to enforce rights can lead to workers not only losing their job, but also their right to stay and work in the UK.

This Congress welcomes the Labour Party commitment to introduce Fair Pay Agreements in social care and other sectors and believes that fair treatment and full employment rights must cover all workers including migrant workers.

Congress calls on the General Council to:

i. develop materials and training to mainstream equality into all rep work, as well as materials for unions on how to support migrant workers.

ii. challenge the Home Office to introduce tougher restrictions on employers and remove the right to sponsor visas from any employer who is found to abuse overseas workers, while making sure migrant workers do not suffer as a result.

iii. lobby the government to make sure collective bargaining and full employment rights are available to migrant workers.

ASLEF

 

AMENDMENT

At end of third paragraph, insert new sentence:
“Recent changes to salary thresholds and “shortage occupation” exemptions have further increased uncertainty and insecurity for workers in areas like science, tech and engineering, and risk damaging the UK’s STEM-based sectors.”
Add new bullet point:
“iv. lobby for an urgent review of Skilled Worker Visa rules and their impact on affected workers and sectors.”
Prospect

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C02 Fair pay for freelances

Received from: NUJ, Prospect

Comprising of Motion 06 and amends

Congress notes the significant contributions of freelances across sectors within our trade union movement with skills and expertise benefiting the economy. However, Congress is concerned that many companies are failing to pay freelance staff a fair wage, too often excluding this group from pay agreements despite their inclusion in pay claims by unions.

Congress is alarmed by reports of freelance journalists struggling financially due to low or no pay increases in some cases, spanning several decades, despite rising inflation in recent years. An increase in living costs has compounded the hardship faced by many freelances passionate about their work but concerned about the precarious nature it holds with limited financial security.

Congress is also concerned that many engagers avoid making pension contributions for freelancers by exploiting the option to postpone automatic enrolment.

Collective bargaining rights for freelances would ensure an end to a two-tier workforce apparent in some sectors, where workers directly employed enjoy protections not afforded to freelance colleagues.

Congress believes all employers must pay freelances a fair rate for their work with structures in place to support annual pay reviews. Payment must be prompt and accompanied with fair terms that avoid exploitative conditions benefiting only employers or those responsible for commissions.

Congress instructs the General Council to:

i. support unions in their campaigning efforts to achieve improved pay and conditions for freelances

ii. ensure guidance for reps includes toolkits with practical guidance reflecting any legislative changes by the new government.

iii. campaign for better enforcement of automatic enrolment regulations in industries with large numbers of freelancers

iv. lobby to restrict the option to postpone assessment for automatic enrolment.

Mover: National Union of Journalists
Seconder: Prospect
Supporter: Artists’ Union England

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Motion 07 Deliver freedom of association and prevent another P&O Ferries scandal

Received from: Nautilus

Congress continues condemning the actions of P&O Ferries on 17 March 2022 who, sacked 786 maritime professionals without notice or consultation.

Congress notes that at TUC Congress 2022, the now prime minister stated Labour would close gaps in law that allowed P&O Ferries to carry out their actions, within the first 100 days of government.

Congress further notes that on the first anniversary of the scandal Labour committed to a ‘five-point’ plan to prevent another P&O Ferries scandal including:

i. introducing a strong, legally binding seafarers charter

ii. ending fire and rehire

iii. requiring employers to properly consult

iv. boosting protections to workers who refuse to accept attacks on their terms and conditions.

Congress also welcomes the ILO ruling in November 2023, based on the joint complaint raised by TUC, Nautilus, RMT, ITF and ITUC, that calls for the UK government, with social partners, to ensure mutual respect for collective bargaining and calls for an end to the ban on secondary action and more action to prevent anti-union discrimination.

Congress calls on the UK government to ensure the commitments highlighted above and the ruling of the ILO are fully implemented in the forthcoming employment bill; and to enact a mandatory seafarers charter, amend the Trade Union Labour Relations (consolidation) Act 1992 (TULRCA), enable electronic trade union democracy, and ensure another P&O Ferries can never happen again and seafarers can avail of the same protections as their shore-based counterparts.

Nautilus International

AMENDMENT

In the first paragraph after “maritime professionals”, insert “, seafarer ratings, officers, cadets and apprentices”
In the fourth paragraph after “partners, to”, insert “uphold and”
After “collective bargaining”, insert “rights”
Insert final paragraph:
“Congress calls for urgent lobbying of government and MPs to support these demands and also a demonstration at Parliament in March 2025, close to the date of the third anniversary of the P&O Ferries sackings, in support of this campaign.”
National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers

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Motion 08 Informational picketing

Received from: The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA)

Congress notes:

i. trade unions rely on informational picketing, a form of public demonstration done for the purpose of educating the public to raise awareness about workplace issues

ii. heightened public awareness about workplace issues is often critical to achieving successful resolutions without having to resort to strike action

iii. certain workplaces, especially those managed by quangos (quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations), have the ability to restrict the locations at which informational picketing can take place, by making bylaws with the effect of law

iv. quangos are administrative bodies separate from government who are legally empowered to manage public services

v. onerous security restrictions imposed by quangos on workplaces means that informational picketing is often only permitted to take place at locations far removed from the public affected by that service

vi. this effectively prevents trade unions from raising public awareness and education through informational picketing

vii. security and safety risks posed by informational picketing are minimal and can be managed – even in locations affected by heightened security and safety concerns

viii. it is anti-democratic to so limit the ability of trade unions to engage in Informational Picketing.

Congress calls upon the TUC and its affiliates to:

a. campaign to change the law governing quangos to lift unnecessary restrictions on trade unions engaging in informational picketing

b. demand that such changes be made within the lifetime of this parliament

c. call upon quangos to immediately remove any restrictions contained in their bylaws that impose anti-democratic restrictions on informational picketing.

Association of Flight Attendants

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C04 Building a fairer economy

Received from: RMT, Unite

Comprising of Motions 11, 12 and 13

Over the past 14 years, the UK economy has stagnated, leading to a critical infrastructure deficit, overburdened public services and falling living standards for working families.

Congress welcomes the election of a Labour government and the manifesto commitment that “there will be no return to austerity”.

Congress believes however that Labour is inheriting the results of sustained austerity, meaning that our public services, local authorities and public transport networks have been starved of the necessary funding.

Congress notes that the UK has a £500bn public investment gap compared to other OECD countries and believes serious state investment will be required to deliver change.

Whilst Congress accepts this crisis cannot be resolved overnight Congress believes public services and local authorities cannot wait for reliance upon the current approach, a strategy based on future economic growth and private investment.

Congress believes that waiting for money from growth alone will not deliver the investment needed to fix our broken economy and restore living standards to public sector workers. There is instead an urgent need for Labour to deliver a significant real-terms increase in public spending and investment, both as an immediate necessity and as part of a longer-term economic strategy for sustainable growth. Different choices will need to be made, including on taxation, further borrowing and collective bargaining.

Wealth inequality is further exacerbated by an unfair tax system that disproportionately taxes income earned through work compared to unearned wealth. This disparity is not only unjust but deprives the economy of vital revenue that could be used to invest in infrastructure, public services and put more money into the pockets of working people.

This economic hardship has been unequally distributed. CEO pay has continued to rise dramatically, with many FTSE 100 CEOs earning more in an hour than the annual average for workers. Congress notes that a wealth tax on the richest one per cent could restore local authority funding to pre-austerity levels or, give public sector workers a 10 per cent pay rise and fill current NHS vacancies.

Congress notes that in real terms workers in Britain earn less today than they did in 1997 and believes that collective bargaining is the only tried and tested method by which work can be made to pay. The last Conservative government created an economy that rewards wealth, not work. We need change.

Congress therefore agrees that the General Council will urgently agree a high-profile and constructive public campaign to strongly make the case for a more radical, progressive and credible economic strategy for national renewal.

This campaign will include making the case for:

i. reforms to unnecessarily restrictive and arbitrary fiscal rules and a plan to close the £500bn public investment gap through responsible borrowing to rebuild Britain’s crumbing public infrastructure and deliver a real industrial strategy

ii. reforms to taxation including a wealth tax on the richest one per cent, introduction of wealth taxes, and a redistribution of wealth to raise £25bn per year for our public services and NHS

iii. equalising capital gains tax in line with income tax, so that all income is taxed equally regardless of whether it comes from wealth or work

iv. closing inheritance tax loopholes, including allowances for agricultural and business land, and special treatment of alternative investment market shares

v. applying national insurance to investment income so that all income is taxed at the same level

vi. closing private equity tax loopholes

vii. a proactive industrial strategy, including public ownership and investment and planning to help deliver strategic investment as the basis of sustainable economic growth

viii. a straightforward and uncomplicated right for trade union access to workplaces that safeguards existing bargaining arrangements but does not require meaningless support thresholds

ix. an automatic right to trade union recognition where most workers want it, including wherever a majority of workers sign a lawful petition and the extension of sectoral collective bargaining across the economy to raise productivity and living standards, while ensuring that any new bargaining arrangements do not cut across existing bargaining arrangements or agreements with recognised trade unions.

This campaign to be launched as soon as possible to influence the next and forthcoming budgets and to include lobbying of MPs and the cabinet.

Mover: Unite
Seconder: National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers
Supporters: Accord, Communication Workers Union

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C05 Industrial strategy, national security and a workers’ transition

Received from: GMB, Unite

Comprising of Motions 14, 15, 16 and amends

Congress notes Labour’s commitment to create 650,000 green jobs by 2030.

Congress believes that serious state investment and industrial planning on a scale not seen in decades, will be required to deliver on that objective.

Congress believes that the new Labour government can end over a decade of delay and incoherence over our national industrial strategy.

As trade unions we have a unique insight into how codependent and mutually beneficial our industries are to economic growth and national security.

The steel, gas, chemicals, water and wider manufacturing industries have made the UK prosperous and stable; their decline threatens our national security. As one collapses, another becomes vulnerable.

The Tories dogmatic neoliberal approach has meant that rather than an industrial strategy we have exported jobs, offshored profits, and collapsed UK industry. The new government has the chance to put workers and communities at the heart of a new industrial strategy.

Labour is determined that they will create new high-quality jobs, working with business and trade unions, as they manage the transition. They have promised to rebuild supply chains at home and to export the technologies of the future.

Labour’s National Wealth Fund will directly invest in ports, hydrogen and industrial clusters in every corner of the country, and to secure the future of Britain’s automotive and steel industries.

They will reward clean energy developers with a British Jobs Bonus, allocating up to £500m per year from 2026, to incentivise firms who offer good jobs, terms and conditions and build their manufacturing supply chains in our industrial heartlands, coastal areas, and energy communities.

Congress agrees that climate change poses a systemic risk to working class communities, but at a time of rising geopolitical tension does not believe that we can abandon fossil fuels until we know how the jobs and communities from the North Sea fields will be protected. Congress notes with dismay that the new government has adopted a target to stop drilling in the North Sea before any plan for jobs has been agreed.

Decarbonisation must be led by the workers, industries and communities involved.

Congress notes that:

i. national security is dependent on an economy with industry at its heart that works for all

ii. gas remains vital to powering UK manufacturing, from food and beverages to steel, as well as 22 million home boilers

iii. over 30,000 offshore North Sea oil and gas jobs, plus seven to eight times that number in the supply chain, are under threat

iv. creating 35,000 new green energy jobs in Scotland by 2030 requires additional funding of £1.1bn per year, a fraction of the oil profits made in recent years

v. over 90 per cent of goods arrive and depart the UK by sea, making resilient supply chains dependent on a strong UK Merchant Navy to safeguard the supply of food, fuel, and other vital goods

Congress agrees to do everything in its power to prevent oil and gas workers becoming the miners of net zero. We will not let them suffer the equivalent of the coal closures, which broke the back of mining towns across the UK.

Congress commits to working with the UK government to ensure:

a. an industrial strategy policy that maximises our domestic energy strengths for national security, with all assets and options part of the solution: nuclear, renewables and oil and gas production

b. procurement policy which prioritises domestic supply chains, unionised jobs and workers’ voices

c. that any company that receives government funding or bonus’s (taxpayers’ money) to incentivise companies to offer good jobs, must have a union recognition agreement that supports collective bargaining, with an independent trade union

d. public ownership of energy companies to end profiteering, reduce household bills and strengthen national security

e. backing the build of Sizewell C and supporting small modular reactors

f. an industrial strategy that supports the growth of our domestic maritime industry and merchant navy

g. no ban on new licences for drilling, before a fully funded workers’ plan guaranteeing commensurate jobs for all North Sea workers is agreed.

Mover: Unite
Seconder: GMB
Supporters: Aegis, Nautilus International

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Motion 20 Relations with Europe

Received from: Prospect

Congress believes that the negative consequences of the UK’s mismanaged exit from the European Union are increasingly impossible to ignore. For example:

i. Export sectors have been hit hard with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s latest assessment pointing to a 15 per cent fall in trade as a result.

ii. Sectors reliant on cross-border collaboration and reputation, such as science, tech or the creative industries, have seen increased red tape and reduced national standing.

iii. The EU remains our largest trading partner, but a determinedly adversarial approach has left us without influence over its rules or direction.

iv. The UK sits outside of the EU’s Green Deal Industrial Plan.

UK workers are already missing out on the potential benefits of the new EU directive requiring member states to actively seek to increase collective bargaining coverage. Planned environmental and safety checks on animal and plant imports have been repeatedly postponed due to the impossibility of recruiting sufficient staff on inadequate civil service pay.

Congress welcomes the inclusion of trade union voices on the Domestic Advisory Group tasked with monitoring and reporting to government on affected sectors. However, work to repair the damage of this reckless experiment, with workers’ voices at the heart of the process, needs urgently to be accelerated.

Congress calls on the General Council to campaign for:

a. rapid progress on reducing trade barriers

b. ongoing dynamic alignment of social protections and regulations

c. streamlined processes for essential cross-border movement of workers and equipment

d. renegotiation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement as an overall goal.

Prospect

AMENDMENT

Replace bullet points a. to d. with:
“a. rapid progress on reducing trade barriers
b. ongoing dynamic alignment of social protections and regulations
c. streamlined processes for essential cross-border movement of workers and equipment
d. renegotiation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement as an overall goal” Add new final bullet point:
“e. a cultural accord between the UK and the EU to reduce the processes currently in place that present barriers to cross border movements for touring musicians and associated creative workers, their equipment and goods.” Musicians’ Union

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Motion 21 UK Steel and a carbon border adjustment mechanism

Received from: Community

Congress recognises that domestic steel will be more necessary than ever for building the low-carbon, sustainable economy of the future. Furthermore, if we are serious about decarbonisation and transitioning our economy to net zero, we need a strategic industrial plan with commitments on procurement, energy prices and actions protecting primary steel production in the UK.

Congress believes that a well-implemented Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is one crucial measure to help level the playing field on carbon costs for steelmakers in the UK and support decarbonisation of domestic steel production. Ensuring imported steel does not have an unfair price advantage and that domestic steelmakers can continue to produce low- emission steel without being outcompeted by high-emission, imported steel. If the UK CBAM policy is not designed correctly, increased steel imports that didn’t face a carbon price could flood into the UK and undercut our domestic market.

Congress welcomes the measures outlined in the Labour Party’s 2024 manifesto, supporting the implementation of a UK CBAM, and looks forward to working with the government on measures to support the decarbonisation and sustainability of UK domestic steelmaking.

Congress, therefore, calls on the TUC to work with the Labour government on the design and implementation of a robust UK CBAM, which:

i. supports the decarbonisation of domestic steel production, whilst protecting the competitiveness and sustainability of the industry

ii. aligns implementation of a UK CBAM with the EU CBAM timeline, in order to minimise the risk of trade barriers and trade diversion undercutting our domestic market.

Community

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Motion 22 Takeover of Royal Mail

Received from: CWU

Congress recognises that the proposed takeover of Royal Mail by a billionaire causes major concern for both our postal service and postal workers.

Handing over the ownership of one of the UK’s most important institutions to a foreign private equity investor cannot be right. However, Congress also recognises the failure of privatising our postal service and that the current Royal Mail management is not delivering for workers or customers.

While the long-term goal for the postal service is renationalisation, we must take immediate action to ensure that postal workers have a greater say in the workplace and that services are protected. As well as ensuring comprehensive, long-term protections for the workforce, there should be a new ownership and governance model for Royal Mail that builds a postal service for the workers and customers – not one solely focused on shareholder payouts.

Congress also recognises that so many workers across different sectors are seeing similar asset-stripping business models used to demoralise and pressure the workforce and that the trade union movement supports these workers in calling for new ownership and governance models in their own industries.

Congress resolves:

i. that the TUC supports postal workers in securing comprehensive protections in the takeover of Royal Mail, including protections against job losses and in their calls for a new ownership and governance model for Royal Mail and takes the necessary steps to support them in any campaign regarding the takeover of Royal Mail.

Communication Workers Union

AMENDMENT

In the second paragraph after “or customers”, insert:
“As has recently been demonstrated with the announcement that it will cease its own rail operations, the announcement was briefed to the press before the contractor (DB Cargo) was informed. This decision has put many jobs at DB Cargo at risk and damages potential growth for Royal Mail in rail.”
ASLEF

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Motion 23 Public interest regulation

Received from: Prospect

Congress believes the UK’s model of economic regulation is in urgent need of review. Strategically and socially important industries risk being held back, while the needs of our wider economy and society are not being met.

The approaches pursued by many economic regulators remain marked by their origins in successive waves of privatisation.

These technocratic, cost-cutting regimes fail to take account of the social and distributional dimension of what are often essential basic services, or the strategic importance of essential economic infrastructure.

In the energy sector, for example, Ofgem did not anticipate the collapse of low-cost energy providers, requiring the government to step in with bail-out measures, and witnessed the forcible instalment of pre-payment meters for households struggling with energy costs. Its regime of price and cost controls fails to take adequate account of the need to reduce workforce stress and fatigue or deliver the large-scale transformation needed to meet net zero targets.

Comparable concerns have been raised in relation to other economic regulators including Ofcom and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Congress calls on the TUC General Council to lobby for a new, more sophisticated approach to economic regulation that ensures commercial and cost considerations are balanced by explicit responsibility, oversight and provision for vital public priorities such as:

i. social justice and fair access to essential basic services

ii. workforce resilience, workforce development and the need to maintain decent pay and working conditions

iii. increased long-term investment in R&D, innovation, and infrastructure needed to support the UK’s industrial strategy and sustainability goals.

Prospect

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Motion 40 ASDA workers deserve better

Received from: GMB

Receive from GMB

Congress believes that the food retail sector is part of the nation’s critical infrastructure. Supermarket workers are key to feeding our communities.

Congress echoes GMB’s concern that highly debt-leveraged takeovers of our nation’s food distributors will cause crisis in supply and safety.

Since TDR Capital and the Issa Brothers bought ASDA in the largest debt-leveraged buyout ever of a UK company, over eight million hours have been stripped from the shop floor, making ASDA workers’ jobs harder.

These cuts have caused a steep decline in health, safety and food hygiene standards within ASDA stores and attacks on retail workers have increased.

ASDA’s balance sheet is now loaded with over £6bn of debt. Prior to TDR’s private equity ownership there was no debt.

Despite ASDA’s market share steadily declining, the priority for ASDA owners is only to service their debt and maximise profit for their shareholders. They have shown no intention to improve working conditions, increase market share nor settle GMB’s Equal Value claim.

TDR’s Stonegate Pubs are reported to be in crisis. Congress shares GMB’s deep concern about a similar fate for ASDA.

Congress commits to:

i. supporting GMB’s longstanding equal pay campaign in ASDA and GMB members who take industrial action in their stores.

ii. urging the Labour government to protect jobs, consumers and food security from high- risk indebted business models by improving corporate governance standards.

iii. giving workers voices on company boards and fulfilling its commitment to close private equity’s ‘carried interest’ tax loophole.

GMB

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Motion 41 Closing the gender pay gap

Received from: CSP

The gender pay gap persists across UK public services. This inequity significantly impacts CSP members and the wider public sector, with women making up the majority of the NHS workforce.

Government has a stated ambition of permanently closing the gender pay gap. But a clear action plan is needed to achieve this in public services.

While women perform the majority of unwaged domestic labour, the gender pay gap will continue to exist if workers experience difficulty accessing flexible working; or encounter a taboo of working at senior levels on a part-time basis.

The scale of the challenge is not fully clear. Gender pay gap reporting remains inconsistent and inaccessible, despite being a duty under the PSED since 2017.

Congress calls for the TUC to work with government to:

i. establish a cross-departmental mission delivery board, responsible for developing an overarching gender pay gap action plan for public services; and charged with demanding, collating and scrutinising public organisations’ gender pay gap reports

ii. challenge the status quo of senior leadership positions in public services being ‘full-time’ roles

iii. facilitate career progression for individuals with caring responsibilities

iv. widen the PSED to include a duty to report on how public sector employers are eliminating the barriers for women to progress in the workplace

v. when conducting its review of parental leave, introduce a dedicated period of leave for fathers and non-birth partners, paid at occupational rates of pay – to rebalance gender differences in unwaged work.

Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

AMENDMENT
At the end of the first paragraph, add:
“Agenda for Change was established to ensure equal pay across the NHS, but roles excluded from this pay scale are those most likely to be filled by men: doctors, dentists, and managers. Caring professions are universally undervalued and underpaid, with female-dominated professions being left furthest behind.”
Royal College of Podiatry

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Motion 42 Addressing the ethnicity pay gap

Received from: TUC Black Workers Conference

UNISON’s campaign to address the ethnicity pay gap recognises that closing the ethnicity pay gap is fundamental to achieving equality for Black workers. We cannot wait for legislation. Encouraging employers to conduct transparent pay audits, identify disparities, and to implement diversity and inclusion programmes that foster career advancement for Black employees is essential if we are to eliminate biased employment practices.

Conference, proposing the incorporation of ethnicity pay gap reporting as a standard practice in corporate disclosures has been a UNISON campaign drive since September 2020 but we need a wider campaign, and we need it now.
Conference calls on the TUC Race Relations Committee to:

i. encourage the incorporation of ethnicity, pay gap reporting as a standard practice in corporate disclosures

ii. call for legislation to make ethnicity pay gap reporting mandatory and for this to become a standard practice in employers’ policies and procedures

iii. promote initiatives to support employers conduct transparent pay audits, identify disparities, and help to take corrective measures in addressing this and ensure they involve trade unions

iv. help to promote and foster an inclusive and diverse programme that supports the career advancement of Black employees in the workplace.

TUC Black Workers Conference

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Motion 44 Suicide prevention and awareness

Received from: NASUWT

Congress notes with alarm the rising number of suicides and suicide attempts, particularly by people within the working age population.

Congress further notes with concern that the occupations with the highest risk of suicide and suicide attempts, include health care, education and other public sector workers.

Congress is deeply alarmed at the survey results of NASUWT members that shows teaching had adversely affected their mental health and that the pressures of the job is leading to a mental health emergency within the profession.

Congress asserts that the mental health and wellbeing of workers across all sectors are critical factors of a productive and healthy workforce.

Congress therefore believes that unions have a critical role to play in advocating for effective strategies and support systems that address suicide prevention and awareness in the workplace.

Congress calls on the TUC to:

i. campaign for fully funded mandatory mental first aid training that includes suicide prevention and awareness in all workplaces

ii. work with affiliates to ensure that suicide awareness and prevention are campaigning and bargaining priorities in all workplaces

iii. lobby for increased funding for mental health services that is accessible and available to all workplaces and sectors.

NASUWT

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Motion 45 Inclusivity in maternity services

Received from: RCM

Building an inclusive maternity workforce is critical to ensuring midwives and maternity support workers and the women and people they care for feel safe and listened to.

Across the UK there are a growing number of neurodivergent healthcare professionals, with the true figure unknown due to fear of discrimination and lack of diagnosis. We know many students with neurodivergent conditions would like to train to become midwives but may be put off because they fear the course doesn’t make allowances for their condition.

The RCM has been campaigning to ensure that midwifery education is a place of acceptance and an environment where neurodiverse students can thrive as they train to become midwives.

The RCM wants to encourage people from a range of backgrounds and neurominorities into the profession. This is vital as midwives help mothers and families from a range of backgrounds and neurotypes. They deserve to be cared for by people who understand the challenges they face.
Congress calls for:

i. further investment in healthcare and trade union education that supports and widens acceptance of neurodivergent individuals in the NHS workforce

ii. campaign for mandatory neurodiversity awareness training for all NHS staff as part of their EDI mandatory training.

Royal College of Midwives

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Motion 46 Mental illness in prisons

Received from: POA

Congress notes with concern that prisons are being used as a so-called place of safety for people who are mentally unwell, a practice the 2022 Mental Health Bill was supposed to have stopped. A report found that prisoners are being held in prison for an average of 85 days before being transferred to secure hospitals for important medical interventions. This leads to appalling levels of distress for some of the most unwell with nurses and prison officers suffering real harm as a result of violence against them and responding to an increasing number of deaths in custody.

Congress instructs the general council to campaign for properly funded health interventions in our communities that deal with mental health issues and divert people away from prison and for those individuals to get the treatment they deserve from health care professionals. This must include an increase in the number of regional secure beds delivered by NHS providers and a commitment to withdraw from private secure mental health provision.
Congress should note this is a strain on our public services through a lack of funding and care in the community failing due to a lack of funding and resources with courts using prisons as the default position as they know they will get 24-hour care and attention.

POA

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Motion 47 Promoting opportunities for young people with neurodiversity challenges

Received from: Aegis

Young people with neurodiversity challenges, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other neurological conditions, face significant barriers to gaining work experience and employment opportunities. These barriers can hinder their ability to transition into adulthood, limiting their opportunities for a fulfilling and independent life.

It is crucial to address these challenges by creating an inclusive work environment that recognises and values the unique strengths and talents of neurodiverse individuals.

Providing meaningful work experience and employment opportunities is essential to helping these young people develop the skills and confidence necessary to thrive in the workplace.

We call on the TUC to actively encourage employers to create and promote opportunities specifically tailored for young people with neurodiversity challenges. This can be achieved through the following:

i. Awareness and training: encouraging employers to implement training programs for managers and employees to increase awareness and understanding of neurodiversity.

ii. Work experience programmes: advocating for the establishment of work experience and internship programs focused on the needs of neurodiverse young people, offering them practical experience and skill development.

iii. Mentorship and support: promoting the introduction of mentorship schemes where neurodiverse young people can receive guidance and support from experienced colleagues.

iv. Inclusive recruitment practices: encouraging employers to adopt inclusive recruitment practices that consider the unique challenges faced by neurodiverse individuals, ensuring fair and equal opportunities for all.

By implementing these measures, we can help neurodiverse young people gain valuable work experience and enhance their future employment prospects, so they can lead fulfilling lives as adults.

Aegis

AMENDMENT

Replace all instances of “young people with neurodiversity challenges” to “neurodivergent young people”. In the first paragraph, replace “such as” with “with, for example,” and replace “neurological” with “neurodevelopmental”.
In the second paragraph and bullet point iv., replace “neurodiverse individuals” with “neurodivergent individuals”. In bullet points i. and ii., replace “programs” with “programmes”
In bullet points ii. and iii., and the final paragraph, the phrase “neurodiverse young people” should be changed to “neurodivergent young people”
Association of Educational Psychologists

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Motion 24 Protect arts workers’ freedom of expression

Received from: Equity

Congress notes with concern recent statements by Arts Council England (ACE) which have threatened the freedom of expression of artists in receipt of public funding. In February 2024, ACE issued an update to its Relationship Framework, which sets out its expectations of grantees, warning that “activity that might be considered to be overtly political or activist”, including activity by “individuals associated with the organisation acting in a personal capacity” can cause “reputational risk” and breach funding agreements.

Although the guidance was later revised in response to outcry from artists, a Freedom of Information request by Equity revealed that it had been formulated after a meeting with the government titled “Reputational risk relating to Israel-Gaza conflict”, demonstrating the degree of political interference from ministers in the purportedly independent ACE.

Therefore, Congress calls on the TUC to:

i. affirm that artists and arts organisations should be free to critique institutions and bring attention to issues through overtly political art without fear of censorship or losing their public funding

ii. ensure the government delivers a meaningful review of the Arts Council including in respect of its independence from political interference from government

iii. lobby the government and the Arts Council to work with trade unions to produce guidance which affirms artists’ freedom of expression and makes clear that attempts to censor artists represent a risk to organisations and their public funding.

Equity

AMENDMENT

At the end of bullet point ii., add:
“including its appointment and decision-making processes”
Artists’ Union England

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C06 Funding cuts and impact on jobs for artists and musicians

Received from: AUE, MU

Comprising of Motions 25, 26
The UK’s arts and culture sector is facing a perfect storm.
Congress notes the:

i. value of arts for society in terms of creativity, wellbeing and mental health, education, understanding our complex histories, and the pivotal role the arts play in social justice and healing

ii. importance of the creative arts to the UK economy (£109bn contributed in 2021)

iii. need for creative workers for fair and equal pay, dignity respect and rights including freelance artists

iv. necessity of a sustainable future for artist practices

v. necessity of arts education being accessible for all.

Funding cuts, rising touring costs and the cost-of-living crisis are threatening the future of the UK’s world-renowned orchestras and other arts organisations. Successive Conservative governments have overseen a 46 per cent real-terms cut to arts funding since 2010, which has had a direct impact on jobs and pay across the UK, at English National Opera, Northern Ballet and Welsh National Opera to name but a few. For the first time since 1984, the MU has successfully balloted for industrial action several times in the past 12 months, demonstrating how serious the situation has become.

Conference calls on the General Council to lobby for:

a. the government to prioritise funding of the arts as part of their plan for economic growth

b. a restoration and increase of public funding of the arts, as well as the exploration of new avenues for funding artists, including start-up grants for cooperatives

c. more transparent and diverse appointments to the Arts Council and other cultural bodies, with artist representatives involved in decision-making at every level. An end to nepotism and the opening of access to opportunities, influence and resources

d. an end to the low or no pay culture in the arts

e. a recognition that artwork is work, and that addressing artists’ precarious, low-paid working conditions is crucial to addressing inequalities in the arts

f. arts education to be restored to the curriculum within primary, secondary, further and higher education

g. access to arts education accessible for anyone at any age

h. artistic exchange across borders, including easing restrictions for exhibiting artist work

i. a coordinated approach to the creative arts in the UK.

Mover: Musicians’ Union
Seconder: Artists’ Union England

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Motion 27 Restoring trust in the media

Received from: NUJ

Congress notes recent Reuters Institute research which found that people who trust in news most of the time in the UK now stands at 35 per cent, down from 51 per cent in 2015.

Congress notes this trend has been compounded by the failure of news organisations to invest in quality news, exacerbated by tech companies hoovering up advertising revenue and pivoting away from news on their platforms.

Congress believes this has boosted the dissemination of disinformation, misinformation, racist and partisan agendas on social media, largely unchecked by the big tech companies.

Democracies need trusted news sources and journalists who can hold power to account. All citizens should have access to easily-understood reporting of important decisions taken on our behalf – about defence, health, education and social care services, as well as the administration of justice, provision of transport, and economic planning.

Congress instructs the General Council to support the NUJ’s News Recovery Plan which calls for:

i. a windfall tax of six per cent on the tech giants to provide sustainable future funding

ii. Jobs for Journalists tax credits and interest free loans to bolster frontline newsgathering roles

iii. reforming media ownership rules with a strengthened public interest test

iv. the establishment of a journalism foundation to champion public interest news and foster a diverse media

v. investment in measures to ensure journalists can work safely

vi. legislation to protect the rights of creators and regulate AI

vii. legislation to outlaw SLAPPs and other forms of ‘lawfare’ aimed at thwarting journalistic reporting

viii. safeguarding journalists against surveillance.

National Union of Journalists

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Motion 72 New deal next steps – sectoral collective bargaining

Received from: CWU

Congress celebrates the decisive election of a Labour government. One of Labour’s flagship policies, the New Deal for working people, is a comprehensive package that has been fought for by trade unions and our members.

Congress recognises that a Labour government implementing the New Deal for Workers is a crucial first step in reshaping the world of work.

However, restoring workers’ rights is only one part of transforming our economy in favour of working people. Trade unions must now work together like never before and ensure that sectoral collective bargaining accompanies the implementation of the New Deal for working people, so we can build back power in workplaces across the country.

Congress recognises that we have previously agreed to a review of how the TUC operates and to publish collective bargaining strategies for multiple sectors across the economy, however, this has not happened. We must seize the opportunity that the Labour government presents and use this era of change to focus on the root of our power – our collective strength.

Congress resolves:

i. for the TUC to host a collective bargaining summit in the next six months, for trade unions to discuss strategies for setting common bargaining agendas in multiple sectors

ii. following this, for the TUC General Council to establish and agree a collective bargaining strategy for multiple sectors across the economy, to be published no later than six months after the summit

iii. for the TUC to urge the Labour government to expand upon their plans for introducing sectoral collective bargaining.

Communication Workers Union

AMENDMENT

Add new final bullet point:
“iv. the TUC to reconvene its Fair Pay Agreements Working Group to develop recommendations for preliminary proposals and timelines for mandatory Fair Pay Agreements/sectoral collective bargaining across the economy. These proposals to be developed in parallel with the government’s legislation and review for FPA’s in the adult social care sector.”
National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers

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C16 Artificial Intelligence: regulation, equality, skills, training, and the arts

Received from: Accord, Unite

Comprising of Motions 73, 74 and 75

Congress believes no worker must be left behind as AI reshapes the nature of work. Proactive steps can be taken by government, trade unions and employers so workers have the skills and support to thrive in an AI-driven economy.

Congress notes:

i. with concern, AI-driven job displacement

ii. the need to protect and strengthen democratic systems against the possible threats against them by AI

iii. the need for protections for workers

iv. the rise in media information praising the role of AI and listing benefits without balancing those with the threats

v. the threat of new, unregulated generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems for further embedding workplace discrimination against women, Black and Asian ethnic minority, disabled and LGBT+ workers

vi. nearly 2.5 million people were employed in the UK’s financial and related professional services, accounting for more than seven percent of total UK employment.

AI is increasingly used to control workers through observation, with the low paid and outsourced BAEM workers being the most vulnerable to surveillance. 54 percent of banking jobs and 48 percent of insurance roles could be displaced by AI in the future.

Congress congratulates the TUC on:

a. its work related to AI and the use of algorithms which resulted in the AI Employment Bill

b. supporting the setting up of union groupings that can meet together to discuss AI issues related to their areas.

Congress instructs the TUC to lobby for:

1. a Bill which regulates employers’ use of AI in the workplace, which:

i. ensures trade unions have the right to be consulted and to negotiate on the use of AI and new technologies at work, including all aspects of the collection, handling and misuse of data

ii. ensures recruitment is free from bias and discrimination

iii. protects workers from AI-powered decision-making

iv. provides rights for human involvement when technology makes ‘high-risk’ decisions like hiring and firing.

2. legislation to ensure workplace collective agreements on the use of AI

3. legislation to protect artists’ and creative workers’ intellectual property rights

4. the protection of artists’ rights in particular regarding AI and its development

5. ethical usage, with consent and appropriate remuneration of original creators for their content

6. information and labelling to be attached/attributed to all ‘products’ and all creative work that has been ‘made’ or ‘constructed’ by AI

7. legislation to protect workers against the use of AI in workplaces, and anywhere where people conduct their work

8. the government to appoint an independent body to undertake an inquiry to collect evidence and advise government on the ethical use of AI

9. the government to regulate the use of AI to prevent discrimination becoming embedded within public bodies, through effective procurement systems, and the extension of public sector equality duties

10. the EHRC to play a central role in regulating the use of discriminatory AI systems, backed by statutory guidance and equality impact assessments

11. a major programme of reskilling and retraining for employees to equip them for the new roles that will evolve.

12. Employers to work collaboratively with unions to:

I. provide current employees with opportunities to learn new skills or enhance their existing knowledge to meet future requirements

II. develop new roles that align with evolving business needs

III. explore innovative alternatives to redundancy if some roles are no longer needed

IV. invest in jointly accredited skills champions to enhance reassignment, retraining, and upskilling initiatives for future jobs

V. attract new talent to the industry from diverse and non-traditional backgrounds.

Mover: Unite
Seconder: Accord
Supporter: Artists’ Union England

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Motion 76 Young workers, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation

Received from: TUC Young Workers' Conference

Congress notes:

Increased use of automation and AI in the workplace is occurring rapidly across all sectors. AI transforms how we work and offers opportunities to improve working lives, but new technologies pose significant risks.

An LSE survey found more than 60 per cent of firms have adopted new technologies or management practices since the start of the pandemic, but a TUC survey found only 5 per cent of workers would trust these technologies to make decisions about them at work.

Young workers are more likely to work in sectors with a higher risk of job losses resulting from automation and to believe they have been subject to surveillance at work.

A survey that showed 61 per cent of young workers believe that 25 percent of their future role will be performed by AI, with 38 per cent believing that AI will do 50 percent of their job in the next decade.

Efforts to organise workers in the platform economy, include the collective agreements secured at Uber and Deliveroo by the GMB.

Congress believes:

i. bad bosses will use AI to increase inequality, replace workers and drive down working conditions – alongside the existing human bias in data and algorithms, AI can repeat if unchecked

ii. the voice of young workers, in particular, is poorly represented in decisions made about the use of AI at work

iii. young workers will need new skills to adapt to the changing world of work and to respond to the potential challenges that new technologies pose such as driving discrimination and inequality

iv. the interests and needs of young workers must be at the forefront of adaptation to technological change in the workplace, and employers and government must ensure all workers are equipped with the skills they need in response to automation and AI and potential changes to jobs or job roles.

Congress calls on the TUC Young Workers Forum to:

a. target support for young workers to ensure their employment is protected in the short and long term in sectors that are at high risk of automation.

b. work with employers and government to provide opportunities for upskilling, retraining and redeployment for young workers whose jobs are impacted by technological change, and ensure the UK is leading in lifelong learning and skills development.

c. launch a campaign on the impacts of AI on young workers, including:
1. an event to discuss the impact.
2. research and a survey to understand the full impact on young workers.
3. supporting relevant campaigns by member unions.
4. developing and disseminating materials to support young workers whose jobs are impacted.
5. consider policies that enhance and protect young workers’ jobs, building on the TUC AI Manifesto.
6. call for a requirement for employers to consult with workers on new workplace technologies, as well as usage of existing technology, including algorithmic impact assessments.

TUC Young Workers Conference

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Motion 62 Training and skills

Received from: Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers

Congress recognises that over the last 14 years, the Conservative government has significantly underfunded training and skills provisions for working people. In addition to scrapping the Union Learning Fund in England, the Tories have overseen an Apprenticeship Levy scheme which has seen apprenticeship starts fall by a third and £3.5bn transferred from training budgets to the Treasury.

Working people must be given the best chances of succeeding in the workplaces of the future and to do that, the Labour government must deliver a whole new skills framework. Such a framework must be shaped around the needs of workers and include, as a minimum:

i. a significant and long-term investment in skills funding including the reinstatement of the Union Learning Fund across England.

ii. a right to paid time off for retraining to support the development of lifetime skills.

iii. the development of individual learning accounts.

iv. fundamental overhaul of the Apprenticeship Levy, including significant action to ensure that those who are disadvantaged in the labour market are able to access an apprenticeship programme as well as the promotion of Level 2 and 3 apprenticeships.

v. work to combat the unintended consequences resulting from a postcode-based skills funding system that can create additional barriers for some adult learners.

vi. the creation of a trade union innovation fund to be administered by the TUC that will support the vital role of trade unions in providing education and training.

vii. ensure the voices of workers are represented in all discussions on skills strategy.

Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers

AMENDMENT

At the end of the motion add new paragraph:
“Congress welcomes the announcement of the creation of Skills England as an important first step in attempting to boost skills across the workforce and an important opportunity to ensure that the voices of trade unions are heard alongside business, government and training providers.”
UNISON

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Motion 60 Prisons are full but so is probation

Received from: NAPO

Congress notes the appalling crisis afflicting all parts of the criminal justice system and the failure of the previous government to adequately address these issues over the last 14 years.

Uppermost among these, has been the capacity crisis in prisons and the shambolic management of the ECSL early release of prisoners scheme.

Despite the tremendous efforts of prison and probation workers, the ensuing chaos has highlighted the fact that the Probation Service is still in the grip of an acute staffing and workload crisis, exacerbated by inadequate pay that fails to retain and motivate staff, with high levels of attrition and unsustainable sickness absences.

Congress calls on the government to provide an emergency financial package for the Probation service to include sufficient funding to allow the immediate reopening of pay negotiations to try and make an impact on the operational decline by treating staff with the dignity and respect that they deserve. This has been made worse by the introduction of the ‘One HMPPS’ programme which does nothing to help prison and probation staff.

The General Council is also instructed to establish contact with the prime minister and lord chancellor to press the policy (as agreed at TUC 2023) for the establishment of a Royal Commission into the criminal justice system. Meanwhile, Congress calls for urgent action by government to reduce the reliance on short-term prison sentences which do nothing to impact on the societal impacts of reoffending.

Napo

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Motion 61 Time to bring an end to unpaid overtime in Cafcass

Received from: NAPO

Cafcass provides a social work service to the family courts who are dealing with the country’s most vulnerable children.

A recent survey of members undertaken by Napo found that 93 per cent of staff had worked extra hours over a four-week period that they had not been able to take back.

77 per cent of staff said that they did not keep a record of the extra hours that they worked mainly because they had no realistic possibility of getting the time reimbursed.

The extent of staff working unpaid overtime echoes the findings of a similar survey by Napo in 2021.

Napo have repeatedly asked Cafcass to take steps to reduce the number of cases held by staff to a manageable level and eradicate the staggering levels of bureaucracy faced by Cafcass staff.

This Congress agrees that it is scandalous that Cafcass has consistently failed to address this issue and to have allowed staff to prop up the service through many hours of unpaid work.

This TUC instructs the General Council to establish dialogue with the new minister for family justice to initiate a review into excessive work levels in Cafcass and find a solution to this perennial problem which is exploitative practice by the employer.

Napo

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C09 Housing that works for all

Received from: National House Building Council Staff Association, SoR

Comprising of Motion 35 and 36
Access to affordable housing has been a recurring issue since the social housing sell off following the introduction of the ‘right to buy’.

There has been a loss of 13,000 small to medium-sized building companies since the mid-2000s affecting workers directly through lay-offs. This has led to a gig economy in housebuilding, where the majority of trades are self-employed on precarious contracts.

Secure housing was once built into the design of public sector infrastructure – new hospitals came with supported accommodation for young professionals; new schools included caretaker housing.

Today’s reality is very different. As value gaps emerge – those looking after money have seen rewards rise faster than average pay, whilst those responsible for looking after people have been consistently devalued – fuelling a recruitment and retention crisis impacting all families and the wider economy.

In parallel, housing policy has protected landlords more than tenants, including new professionals, often moving to start their new careers without housing security.

Improving access to affordable, secure rented housing for public sector professionals, alongside legislation to secure rent control and improve tenant rights, will help address the public sector recruitment and retention crisis and help communities they serve in.

The new government has committed to building 1.5 million homes during the next five years but targets such have these have not been achieved in many years.
Planning applications on medium to large sites will take up to two years to be granted, exacerbating the housing issue through delays in getting new stock available to the social or private housing sector.

Congress welcomes the commitment to easing planning delays through the creation of good jobs in planning departments but notes that 300 new jobs is not going to end the delays, and neither is it going to end the skill shortage in the construction sector.

Congress calls on the General Council and affiliates to work with the government, and across public and private sectors to:

i. train a new generation of skilled construction workers

ii. work with employers in the private sector to improve the employment model, ensuring those workers have a secure future

iii. work in partnership with unions and employers to identify effective, targeted incentives to improve public sector recruitment, including publicly supported accommodation

iv. prioritise renting in its housing strategy – securing access to affordable rented housing for all, including public sector professionals

v. introduce fair rent control and legislation that prioritises tenants before landlords

vi. secure investment in public sector infrastructure, including affordable rented accommodation, as part of its industrial strategy, linking to any tax breaks for private sector investment.

vii. collaborate with industry to achieve the delivery of the promised homes, making safe, affordable, well built, environmentally friendly housing available to all workers.

Mover: Society of Radiographers
Seconder: National House Building Council Staff Association

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Motion 19 Climate change and workers’ health

Received from: BFAWU

With last year the hottest year on record, we are likely to experience record breaking heat again this summer, putting people at risk around the world.

Workers, trade unions, climate justice activists and organisations must unite in their struggle to build a mass movement for a change, where the poorest don’t pay the price for climate change.

The climate crisis is a trade union issue whether it is about a just transition, defending jobs or health and safety.

Congress welcomes the fact that the theme for 2024’s Workers’ Memorial Day was climate change and workers’ health as the impacts of climate change increasingly become an occupational hazard and a health and safety issue.

Congress agrees to campaign for the following:

i. set a national maximum working temperature

ii. put in place a heat wave furlough scheme

iii. make a climate action plan.

Congress welcomes the idea of organising a Heat Strike as joint days of action between workers, trade unions and climate justice groups using the youth climate strikes model.

The Heat Strike is not legal union strike but can take many forms by workers and citizens including direct actions, protests, workplace lunchtime walkouts, awareness raising, lobbying of politicians or community actions.

Congress therefore agrees to:

a. sign up to take part in Heat Strike this summer when temperatures go above 36 degrees

b. circulate and disseminate information about Heat Strike: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-up-for-heat-strike

c. download, print and distribute the Heat Strike leaflet in your branches: https://tinyurl.com/HeatStrikeleaflet

d. support campaigns to establish a heat furlough and maximum workplace temperature.

Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union

AMENDMENT

After the third paragraph, add:
“Congress recognises that climate change is an immediate industrial issue for many sectors, such as firefighters, health workers, forestry workers, water industry workers and others tackling floods, wildfire, heatwaves and drought.”
Fire Brigades Union

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C03 Miscarriage leave

Received from: NASUWT, Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers

Comprising of Motion 9 and amends
Congress asserts that losing a baby at any stage of pregnancy can have devastating and lifelong impacts on a person’s emotional and physical wellbeing as well as on their partner and families.

Congress notes the devastation surrounding miscarriage and other forms of early pregnancy loss such as ectopic pregnancy or molar pregnancy, and that the stigma surrounding such loss leaves too many parents struggling with often little or no support to deal with their grief at work.

Low paid workers and those in insecure, temporary employment are amongst those commonly excluded from statutory parental bereavement leave specifically and carer friendly employment rights more broadly. Some employers have introduced contractual provisions that acknowledge the physical, mental and emotional health implications of miscarriage.

NHS England’s new National Policy Framework encourages employers to offer up to 10 days paid special leave to staff who experience a miscarriage. More workers would however benefit from statutory rights.
Congress is deeply concerned that despite the introduction of the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act in 2020, introducing two weeks’ statutory bereavement leave for pregnancy loss after 24 weeks (stillbirth), it remains the case that those who have had the tragic experience of a miscarriage before 24 weeks, have no right to bereavement leave and are ineligible for maternity or paternity leave.

Congress believes that this situation where primarily sick leave or annual leave are the only options available is wholly unacceptable and calls on the TUC to:

i. campaign for the introduction of a day one right to paid miscarriage leave for anyone (irrespective of employment status or earnings) who has experienced a miscarriage or other forms of early pregnancy loss before 24 weeks of pregnancy, coupled with the provision of specialist support that recognises the extremely traumatic experience of miscarriage for all those involved

ii. develop resources and training materials to assist trade unions in negotiating agreements with employers that recognises miscarriage as bereavement rather than sickness absence and affords it the same legal protections as other parental bereavement.

Mover: NASUWT
Seconder: Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
Supporters: Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, FDA

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Motion 10 Childcare

Received from: TUC Women's Conference

Congress recognises that the responsibility of juggling paid work with caring for children and other dependent family members falls disproportionally on women within our society. the increase in the cost of childcare is impacting negatively on women in work.

The current cost of living crisis is pushing families into poverty, and it is widely known that this disproportionately affects women, BAEM, disabled and migrant workers, and other groups who already face inequality in our society.

Good-quality childcare is often too expensive and/or not accessible to many working parents. Childcare costs take up nearly half of women’s average earnings and has become unaffordable for many women due to the additional pressure of the cost-of-living crisis. The lack of affordable childcare is forcing many women to either reduce their working hours or leave the workforce altogether, which might lead to the widening of the gender pay and pension gap.

Further, Congress asserts that the existing framework of statutory family/carer pay and leave rights does not adequately support most working parents and carers with this responsibility. Women who are engaged in insecure, temporary or self-employment are among those who suffer from employment rights that do not properly support caregiving. Working irregular hours means their requirements for care do not fit within the standard ‘nine to five’ working-day, often forcing them to consider cost alternatives which many struggle to afford.

This lack of affordable childcare does not just impact on the capacity of women to work but it also impacts on their career progression. Caring responsibilities are a significant factor in limiting women’s career progression. A survey of 4,000 working women found that 67 per cent felt that childcare duties in the past decade has prevented them from receiving pay rises, promotions or career progression.

Despite forthcoming improvements to flexible working rights, too many employers will still be able to refuse reasonable requests due to “business needs”.

Employers should work with trade unions to ensure that caring is not a barrier to equal pay, promotion and career development.

Congress asserts that we need a modern, high-quality, affordable childcare system that supports a flexible approach to both parenting and work.

Congress calls on the TUC Women’s Committee and affiliates to continue to campaign for free, safe, flexible and affordable childcare for all parents from employers, governments and political parties.

Congress calls on the TUC Women’s committee to:

i. launch a campaign with our union representatives to significantly improve enhanced maternity and paternity leave and pay provided by the employer

ii. encourage union representatives to collectively negotiate increased rates for all aspects of parental leave above statutory levels

iii. continue campaigning for legislation to ensure employers advertise all roles as flexible at the recruitment stage.

Congress commits to lobby the government to:

a. improvements in all aspects of statutory maternity leave and pay and raise maternity payments and expand eligibility – including extending the eight-week qualifying period for statutory maternity pay to cover 12 weeks’ earnings for those with variable hours, so women on casual contracts are not disadvantaged

b. strengthen rights and protections at work, including a right to flexible working and family friendly working arrangements that support women to return and remain in the workplace.

TUC Women’s Conference

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C10 Challenging the politics of hate

Received from: National Education Union, Unison

Comprising of Motion 37 and amendments

Congress is deeply concerned at the success enjoyed by Reform in the General Election. Its attempts to divide communities, attack migrants and other vulnerable groups obscure how its policies stand counter to the interests of working people of all backgrounds and benefit no one but those who want to slash and burn UK regulations for private profit.

Reform’s manifesto said, “scrap thousands of laws that hold back British business and damage productivity including employment laws. We must make it easier to hire and fire”. It also called for the cutting of “unnecessary regulations” from the EU calling them “nanny state regulations” – including health and safety and anti-discrimination laws. Reform also intends to scrap net zero targets leaving our future at risk. Reform would damage the NHS, with policies for vouchers for private healthcare treatment, tax relief for private insurance and job cuts for “back room” staff. Its economic policies will cost us all.

Reform’s hateful rhetoric especially towards immigrants and LGBT+ people will leave communities divided. Reform have emboldened far right and fascists. The recent far-right riots represent the biggest uptick of fascistic activity in a decade.

Congress further notes with concern the march of far-right political parties and their connections across Europe and beyond.

Congress asserts that when Reform poses as a friend to workers, trade unionists are uniquely positioned to challenge them. Congress therefore calls on the TUC and its affiliates to challenge the politics of hate by:

i. raising awareness of Reform’s policies for the workplace and society and scrutinise and hold to account Reform’s elected representatives

ii. providing training courses, resources and support for unions in tackling the politics of the far right

iii. organising and recruiting migrant workers and defend their rights

iv. mobilise for demonstrations and campaigns against the far right called by Stand Up to Racism and others

v. working with the ITUC and global union federations to strengthen our response

vi. campaigning together to secure a New Deal for all working people and communities.

Mover: UNISON
Seconder: National Education Union
Supporter: NASUWT

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Motion 39 Fighting the far-right narrative, hate crimes and hate speech to defend LGBT+ rights

Received from: TUC LGBT+ Conference

Conference notes with increasing concern:

i. the growing prevalence of hate speech on social media, the media in general and beyond, seemingly with impunity

ii. the impact the government’s anti-trans agenda has had on attitudes towards trans people, with trans hate crime continuing to rise each year

iii. the upsurge in hate crimes against LGBT+ people, especially those resulting from the current torrent of transphobia in political and civil life in the UK

iv. that LGBT+ civil rights are increasingly under attack from authoritarian nationalists and reactionary religious organisations across the world

v. that Conservative and right-wing populists are funding and supporting international networks that promote populism that is racist, misogynist, anti-disablist as well as homophobic, biphobic and transphobic, and these are active in the UK.

vi. the impact of this anti-trans agenda on pupils and staff in schools and colleges who are trans and non-binary

vii. Conference condemns the toxic nature of the language and narrative used by senior members of the Westminster government, in its fight against so-called ‘culture wars.’

Conference asserts that such harmful narratives will further expose such pupils and staff to further bullying, harassment and hate language.

Conference believes:

a. that such language ‘borders’ on hate speech and only serves to drive the agenda of the far-right and perpetuate myths and stereotypes around minority and vulnerable groups

b. that transphobia biphobia and homophobia are key gateways to the ideology of the far-right today and must be specifically challenged by our movement.

Conference calls on the TUC to:

1. robustly challenge all forms of anti-trans narratives and hate speech, government policies or guidance that promote anti-trans narratives

2. recognise and promote the importance of challenging homophobia. biphobia and transphobia in:
– trade union political education on the far right
– TUC campaigns on fighting fascism

3. defend all LGBT+ workers from the actions of far-right organisations that attack LGBT+ events including prides, drag storytimes and groups supporting trans inclusion

4. speak out when LGBT+ rights are under threat across the world, and that LGBT+ voices are included.

Conference also calls on the TUC to challenge all forms of anti-trans narratives and hate speech by:

I. providing/facilitating training for affiliates on difficult/challenging conversations on securing LGBTI equality

II. promoting, supporting, and celebrating allyship for LGBTI communities.

TUC Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender+ Conference

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Motion 38 Misogyny in music

Received from: MU

Conference notes that the publication of the Women and Equalities Committee (WESC) Misogyny in Music report was a pivotal moment for the music industry that exposed widespread sexual harassment, abuse, and misogyny.

Despite the evidence that the report highlighted and the overwhelming need for change, the Conservatives rejected all of the report’s recommendations.

Women pursuing careers in music face endemic misogyny and discrimination. The Musicians’ Census 2023 found that:

i. 87 per cent of women musicians had experienced or witnessed some form of discrimination, compared to 65 per cent of men

ii. 51 per cent had experienced gender discrimination compared to 6 per cent of men

iii. 33 per cent had been sexually harassed while working as a musician compared to 5 per cent of men.

These challenges are heightened for women from the global majority and disabled women.

The WESC report sets out reasonable recommendations that would support the Musicians’ Union’s aims of safer workplaces for women and a music industry free from discrimination and harassment. Legislative and structural reforms are essential steps to achieving this aim.

Conference calls on the TUC to lobby government to implement the recommendations from the Misogyny in Music report in full.

Musicians’ Union

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Motion 54 Wellbeing in the workplace

Received from: College of Podiatry

During and after 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic, workplaces had a renewed and extensive focus on staff wellbeing within the NHS. This was a welcome move from all staff within the NHS but now 4 years on, is what has been put in place working?

There have been many different approaches implemented for health and wellbeing for staff from counselling, stress courses, ways to relax, mindfulness etc.

However, despite these services being on offer the top reasons for sickness absence in parts of the NHS is still stress, depression or anxiety? This is what Burnout looks like in practice.

As well as in the NHS we see this replicated in the private sector as surveys have shown. We ask the TUC to support:

i. asking workplaces to delve deep into the support given to staff and to understand what is and is not working

ii. seeking the views of staff on what support they believe is required to keep them well and at work

iii. developing strategies for workplace reps to deal with burnout.

Royal College of Podiatry

AMENDMENT

Add new final bullet point:
“iv. promote the role of health and safety reps in the NHS, emphasising that their work to improve the working conditions for NHS staff also improves the quality and safety of services we offer to the public, and the environment in which those services are delivered.”
Royal College of Midwives

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Motion 55 NHS Buildings

Received from: College of Podiatry

All workers have the right to work in buildings that are fit for purpose and don’t make them ill.

However, in the NHS for too long staff have had to put up with buildings that are not safe, have issues with asbestos and in more recent times potentially issues with structure caused by RAAC.

Our members in the NHS are expected to put their health at risk to improve the health of others and it is not good enough,

The previous governments’ promise of new hospitals was a mirage and NHS staff where again let down.

It’s time to end the false promises of improved conditions.

We call on the TUC to work with affiliated unions to ensure that a proper programme of investment is started to ensure that our hospitals, clinics, and GP practices are fit for purpose.

Royal College of Podiatry

AMENDMENT

At the end of the motion add:
“Ensure employers meaningfully consult with the recognised trade unions on changes to NHS buildings to ensure they meet both service user and workforce needs.”
Royal College of Midwives

 

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Motion 56 Early diagnosis and intervention for osteoporosis

Received from: SoR

Osteoporosis is known as the ‘silent condition’, with more at risk as the population grows and ages. Investment in falls prevention, education and awareness in primary care, combined with early diagnosis is proven to greatly reduce associated risk and costs

DEXA scans carried out by trained specialists could hugely reduce the risk. However, the critical shortage of staff and equipment in this modality illustrates the impact on patients and communities arising from decades of under-investment in growing diagnostic radiography capacity to meet its potential. There is currently only one specialist training centre in England.

All the main parties made positive statements after lobbying during the general election, but none have yet published clear, costed strategies that map a pathway from where we are now to being able to having enough trained professionals and equipment that to eventually pay for itself. This real require continued pressure and genuine social partnership.

Congress therefore calls on TUC to:

i. support World Osteoporosis Day on 20 October and other activities that raise awareness of the danger of falls and educating primary care leaders to the potential of DEXA based services

ii. lobby Westminster and devolved governments to develop an appropriately sized workforce, with the necessary specialist DEXA skills and equipment to meet current and future demand around prevention and early Osteoporosis diagnosis.

Society of Radiographers

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Motion 43 Tackling sexual harassment in the workplace

Received from: BFAWU

Congress agrees that the exposure of McDonald’s in the last 12 months, its failure to deal with sexual harassment and violence as well as its CEO admitting to receiving one or two complaints a week shows the urgent need for legislation to protect workers from this toxic behaviour.

Congress agrees to work with the BFAWU on a campaign to bring into legislation a new requirement for reporting cases of sexual harassment and violence similar to reporting accidents in the workplace (RIDDOR) and to lobby the incoming government to create and resource a new, cross-cooperation panel to overview sexual harassment in the workplace between TUC, EHRC and HSE.

Congress agrees that the campaign should create:

i. a reporting line which takes anonymised details of the incident and forwards the complaint to employers and generates a reference number

ii. a structure so that the anonymised complaint becomes reportable and part of a company’s reporting requirements until both parties agree that the situation has been resolved satisfactorily, without forced NDAs

iii. the ability to remove the ‘three-month less one-day’ rule for such issues, recognising that these cases are often not reported for some time due to fear or some other substantial reason

iv. structures so that trade unions are consulted in such cases and that any agreements with employers include representation through the members union or TUC-appointed facilitator

v. structures to enable workers not represented by trade unions to be supported in a similar way

vi. a training programme agreed via the tripartite for union reps and workers.

Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union

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Motion 78 Trades Councils Conference venue

Congress notes the decision of the TUC to hold all future Trades Councils Conferences in London. Previously the conference moved around the country so sharing the travel costs and time, some years it would be a longer journey for a particular council, others a shorter one.

Congress notes the extortionate hotel costs in London as well as the generally higher travel costs. These are likely to prevent councils attending the conference on cost grounds.

Congress therefore urges the TUC to revert to holding the conference at different venues around the country.

TUC Trades Councils Conference

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C08 National food strategy

Received from: BDA, EIS

Comprising of Motion 31 and amendments
Congress believes that nobody should live in a state of food insecurity and that urgent government action is needed to lift people in the UK out of food poverty and prevent others from falling into it.

Congress recognises that food poverty has significant implications for public health and well-being. It can lead to inadequate nutrition, increased risk of diet-related diseases, and exacerbate health inequalities. Research shows that people living in food insecure households are more likely to become overweight. Congress reinforces that, as with linked levels of physical inactivity, this is not the fault of poor individual decisions. On the contrary, it reflects a failure of public policy making.

Congress applauds the work of campaigners and politicians fighting for the “Right to Food” in their communities and at Westminster.

Congress supports the inclusion of a ‘right to food’ in UK law which would provide a framework for tackling food poverty and promoting food security.

Congress is disappointed that an opportunity to take the recommendations of the Henry Dimbleby plan for a national food strategy was not developed into a promised White Paper in 2022 which would have included measures to:

i. escape the junk food cycle and protect the NHS

ii. reduce diet related inequality

iii. make the best use of our land

iv. create a long-term shift in our food culture.

Congress calls on the TUC to campaign for:

a. a comprehensive food strategy white paper

b. evidence-based agricultural and food production policies, to ensure food is affordable, healthy, and nature positive

c. a statutory right to accessible, affordable and nutritious food

d. universal free school meals for all primary and secondary children and young people

e. the establishment of a minister for food to work across the DHSC and Defra.

Mover: British Dietetic Association
Seconder: Educational Institute of Scotland  
Supporters: Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Fire Brigades Union

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Motion 33 Universal credit

Received from: Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers

Congress condemns the Conservative government’s dismantling of the welfare state.

Universal credit was supposedly intended to simplify and improve access to social security, make it easier for people to manage the move into work and reduce administrative costs however with its in-built rules and cuts it entirely fails to meet these aims. The five-week wait, monthly assessment periods, the inaccuracy of real-time payroll information and online claim management all cause significant financial problems for claimants.

Congress calls on the Labour government to positively promote properly funded social security and employment reform as an integral part of a functioning modern society. As a first step, Congress calls on the government to urgently convene a taskforce that sets out a timeframe for introducing measures that address the injustices and flaws within the current system.

The Labour government’s approach to universal credit must make work pay, support people into decent jobs, end poverty, offer a proper safety net and promote equality.

To reach these goals, the taskforce must commit to:

i. removing the five-week wait and abolishing the two-child limit

ii. reforming work allowances and taper rates to ensure that work pays

iii. addressing administrative flaws within the system

iv. ending the punitive system of sanctions

v. enabling claimants to have their claim reviewed and adjusted by a DWP adviser rather than relying on computer systems

vi. Congress agrees to campaign for statutory provisions to ensure that any future changes to our social security system cannot be introduced without meaningful consultation with claimants and their representatives.

Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers

AMENDMENT

Add new bullet points after vi.:
“vii. Congress agrees to oppose cuts to the winter fuel allowance and demands appropriate taxation of corporations and the super-rich, to fund the social security improvements identified in this motion”
“viii. Congress asserts the right of social security workers and their unions to full consultation on all changes to social security.”
Public and Commercial Services Union

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Motion 34 A fair personal independence payment

Received from: TUC Disabled Workers Conference

The social model of disability should be at the heart of PIP claims to ensure disabled people’s independence and dignity.

It is extremely difficult to navigate through the protracted PIP claim especially when the assessment procedure creates an openly hostile environment and, in many cases culminates in an inconsistent and uncaring conclusion.

The PIP assessment is based on one size fits all, coupled with the lack of quality trained assessors with understanding of all impairments. This process discriminates particularly, against those with non-apparent impairments as they have no signpost that shows obvious indications regarding their condition.

Additionally, the DWP insists on evidence to support each claim. This becomes another hurdle for claimants having to identify proof that could be supplied showing their ability to carry out normal daily activities.

To stop this humiliating and dehumanising process, Conference calls upon Disabled Workers Committee/General Council to demand that the government and the DWP establish a new fairer system by:

i. introducing quality assessments replacing the current tick box exercise and include a discussion with a medical professional who will make an informed decision

ii. rethinking work and the individual’s impairment

iii. providing genuine support for neurodiverse people and those with other non-apparent impairments

iv. ending privatisation.

TUC Disabled Workers Conference

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C17 Palestine

Received from: National Education Union, Unison

Comprising motion number 77 and amendments

Congress notes that:

i. Israel’s military assault on Gaza has killed over 35,000 Palestinians, injured more than 70,000 and displaced over 75 per cent of Gaza’s population destroying housing, hospitals, schools and universities.

ii. the International Court of Justice found South Africa’s case, that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, to be plausible and the International Criminal Court prosecutor is seeking arrest warrants against senior members of the Israeli government alongside Hamas leaders, for crimes against humanity.

iii. the UK government, as a party to the Genocide Convention, has obligations to prevent and punish those guilty of acts of genocide.

iv. Israel’s offensive in Gaza follows decades of violations of Palestinian human rights, , ethnic cleansing, and the imposition of a system of oppression against all Palestinians, including those living with military occupation and Palestinians who are citizens of Israel, recognised internationally under the legal definition of apartheid.

v. Palestinian trade unions have called on their counterparts to end complicity with Israel’s crimes.

vi. the fall of the Economic Activities of Public Bodies Bill is welcome and has renewed the focus to advance a strategy of boycotts, divestment and sanctions

Congress reaffirms support for Palestinian rights and calls on the government to:

a. immediately recognise the State of Palestine, contributing to a 2-state solution

b. end all licences for arms traded with Israel, meeting international law

c. demand a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages and Palestinian political prisoners

d. ensure safe access to essentials including water, electricity, and food, and restore funding to UNRWA

e. following the ICJ and ICC statements, impose sanctions upon individuals and entities who have made statements inciting genocide against Palestinians

f. revoke the 2030 Road Map for UK-Israel bilateral relations.

g. ensure decent work and quality public services are embedded in the reconstruction of Gaza.

Moved: National Education Union
Seconded: Unison
Supported: Unite

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C18 Climate emergency the next steps

Received from: PCS, Unison

Comprising motions numbers 17 and 18

Congress acknowledges that the climate emergency will affect all jobs and all workers adversely. This is a key trade union issue for us all.

The working class, locally and globally, are already being impacted by the consequences of climate change with it affecting the supply and cost of food, water and energy, harming people’s health and putting unacceptable additional strain on public services.

Conference notes that:

i. the international Energy Agency (IEA) states that to stay below the Paris Climate Agreement of 1.5˚C, we must reduce fossil fuel use by 25 per cent this decade

ii. the working class in the UK and globally are already being impacted by the consequences of climate change

iii. we need a rapid and just transition away from fossil fuels to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown

iv. failing to take urgent measures puts jobs at risk from sudden climate events and their economic consequences

Congress calls on the General Council to campaign for:

a. negotiated transition plans that guarantee protection for all workers in all sectors of the economy including equality strands to cover jobs, wages, pensions, training and skills, and trade union rights

b. statutory just transition commissions for each nation to advise and direct on transition plans that will protect workers

c. public ownership of key sectors such as energy, water, transport, mail, broadband, education, health, and social care

d. a national climate service to plan, coordinate and fund education and training for the workforce and a wide scale transformation to a decarbonised economy

e. unions to co-operate in negotiating industrial strategies for decarbonisation, including the building of combines within and across sectors, at the level of branches as well as nationally and globally, and engagement with community groups

f. mandatory environmental impact assessments on all proposals and decisions

g. a year of green trade union activity including engagement with community and climate justice groups

Moved: Unison
Seconded: PCS

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E1 Royal Fleet Auxiliary Dispute 

Received from: Nautilus

That this Congress notes the historic first strike by Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Officers on 15 August 2024, a landmark event given nearly 120 years of uninterrupted service without industrial action. This unprecedented step highlights the deep-seated frustration and anger over the ongoing pay dispute.

Congress further notes the combined Officer’s and Rating’s Day of Action on Merchant Navy Day, 3 September 2024. This solidarity action demonstrates the shared concerns and determination of seafarers across the service.

Congress expresses its deep concern over the ongoing pay dispute and the potential consequences for the RFA’s operational capability. Despite the strike action and numerous attempts to resolve the issue, government has thus far failed to provide a satisfactory solution. This prolonged uncertainty has placed immense strain on RFA personnel and their families.

In light of this action Congress calls upon the TUC to exert its influence and pressure the new labour government to urgently address and resolve the RFA pay dispute. A swift resolution is essential to ensure the continued operational effectiveness of the RFA, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, as well as wider national security.

Congress believes that a fair and equitable pay settlement for RFA personnel is not only a matter of justice but also a necessary investment in the future of the wider maritime sector. The relatively low cost of resolving this dispute compared to the potential consequences of inaction underscores the urgency of the situation.

This Congress demands Fair Pay for the RFA.

Moved: Nautilus International
Seconded: RMT

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E2 Violence Against Women and Girls

Received from: BDA

Congress notes with alarm that the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) report (July 2024) acknowledged that violence against women is a ‘national emergency’ in England and Wales. Although their analysis revealed that 2m women a year are estimated to be victims of male violence, they admitted that this was an underestimate because many if not most offences were not reported.

Congress believes that these figures are evidence of shocking attacks on women, as VAWG highlights in an extreme form the oppression of women buttressed & enabled by sexist and misogynist ideology.

Congress resolves to:

i. Ensure there is monitoring of the prevalence and nature of domestic violence and sexual harassment, including racialised forms of sexual harassment to which Black women are subjected.

ii. Demand a statutory Code of Practice for employers to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and victimisation at work including in the precarious job sector.

iii. Reverse the effective decriminalisation of rape and ensure access to justice for all sexual and domestic violence survivors.

iv. Ensure that migrant women can access the support, welfare systems and legal tools they need to escape abuse, and can report violence without fear of immigration enforcement.

v. Campaign for fully funded support services, staffed by women, for women fleeing violence and domestic abuse.

vi. Campaign for measures to prevent violence against women and girls, including resources and support for schools to address harmful sexual behaviour.

vii. Campaign to eradicate the cultural, economic and social norms that are the root causes of violence against women and girls.

Moved: British Dietetic Association
Seconded: Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union

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E3 Stop the escalation of war in the Middle East

Received from: UCU

Congress notes:

i. Israel’s bombing of Lebanon, Syria and its attacks on Iranian territory.

ii. The United States has recently positioned 18 warships and submarines in and around the Middle East meaning it has over 500 missiles ready to launch in a deadly war with Iran.

iii. Britain’s active military support for Israel’s bombing of Lebanon and the presence of British spies supporting Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

iv. We will mark a year since Israel launched an onslaught against Gaza in October.

Congress believes:

a. The Israeli bombing of Lebanon—with the support of Britain—is a significant and qualitative escalation.

b. After over 40,000 Palestinians killed, Israel’s escalation threatens a much wider war in the Middle East that will lead far greater death, destruction and instability in the region.

Congress resolves:

1. To condemn the bombing of Lebanon and attacks on Iranian territory.

2. To oppose any attempts to escalate this war and demand a ceasefire now.

3. To support the call for a UK-wide workplace day of action in support of an immediate ceasefire.

Moved: UCU
Seconded: RMT

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E4 Make our railways accessible to all

Received from: TSSA

Congress notes:

i. The recent treatment of Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson during a rail journey, reported on 31st August 2024;

ii. That, at current annual rates of investment, it will take ~100 years to make all stations step-free to new-build standards;

iii. That even excluding stations that currently have reasonable access, investment of around £3.75 billion would be required;

iv. That many trains fail to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 which mandated full accessibility by 2020;

v. Recent attempts by the previous Government to shut nearly all ticket offices.

Congress believes that:

a. The treatment of Baroness Grey-Thompson is unacceptable; our transport network should be safe and accessible for everyone and comply with discrimination law;

b. That her experience speaks to the systemic underinvestment in our railways;

c. That we should be expanding and accelerating investment in transport infrastructure to improve services and accessibility;

d. That increasing transport staffing levels – not closing ticket offices or removing railway workers from trains – is vital for creating safe, accessible services.

Congress calls on the government to:

1. Set out a strategy for increasing investment in railway infrastructure to improve services and compliance with discrimination law;

2. Ensure ticket offices are kept open, that there are adequate staff to provide support for disabled passengers, and ensure that our transport network is safe for all;

3. Set out an action plan for ensuring all staff are appropriately trained in supporting disabled passengers on the railway.

Moved: TSSA
Seconded: ASLEF