On Saturday morning, I joined UNISON colleagues from Greater London, South East, and Eastern regions as delegates at the TUC LESE Regional Council meeting. It was held online because the National TUC has decided to sell its headquarters at Congress House (sadly, it was unsuitable), and the venue was unavailable.
The meeting began with a report on the welcome introduction of the Employment Rights Act in April by the Labour Government, the Together Alliance Demo on March 28th, the abolition of the two-child benefit cap, and significant increases in the minimum wage, especially for 18-20 year olds.
A fascinating panel discussion on "The Future of Work" followed, covering climate change and the need for a just transition for workers, the potentially daunting yet promising future of AI, and the real-life impact of workplace automation shared by a Southampton docker.
Next came a presentation on London May Day publicity and mobilisation, followed by an in-depth report from TUC LESE Regional Secretary Sam Gurney (I must ask if he is related to the Gurneys of 19th-century Newham). A positive and constructive Q&A session wrapped up that segment.
There were several mentions of TUC’s "Love Unions" week, 9-15 February. I’ve ordered leaflets and will be organising an event at my workplace. The excellent TUC LESE video "Heart Unions Blues," played during the meeting, is well worth watching. https://www.tuc.org.uk/heartunions
Although a speaker on the May Local Government elections was unavailable, there was a general discussion about what the TUC can and cannot do during such elections, given electoral laws and the fact that it is not affiliated with any political party nor has a political fund. Nonetheless, this doesn’t prevent the promotion of trade union values.
No motions were tabled, and after the finance report and any other business, the meeting closed slightly early. I then went off to campaign for Labour in my ward.
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