The Labour-affiliated 2024 TUC Congress, held from September 8th to 11th, focused on significant issues surrounding workers’ rights, economic reforms, and public service investments. Key themes revolved around the Labour Party’s “New Deal for Working People,” which was hailed as a major step toward improving union employment rights, with the potential for the first significant changes since the 1970s.
USDAW’s general secretary, Paddy Lillis, praised Labour’s repeal of the Trade Union Act and the controversial minimum service legislation. Other union leaders echoed calls for Labour to take bolder steps, including further investments in public services and rail nationalization. While there was general support for Labour’s pro-worker policies, some union figures expressed concerns about a potential dilution of these reforms, warning Labour against any backtracking on its commitments(
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer delivered a key address during the congress, reinforcing his government’s commitment to economic stability and avoiding risks to its mandate, even while recognizing the importance of unions and the working class. He stressed the necessity of balancing pro-business and pro-worker policies, reflecting Labour’s new centrist stancehowver is being battered by various as well as the labout MP’s for freexing out the fuel tax on old age pensioners.
However, the congress also saw challenges, including calls from unions for the government to immediately address wealth inequality and invest more in industrial strategies to tackle economic disparities. Figures like Unite’s Sharon Graham and Mick Lynch of the RMT pushed for higher investments and bolder measures to tax wealth, emphasizing the importance of public ownership and collective bargaining(
Overall, the 2024 TUC Congress highlighted both support and pressure on Labour to deliver meaningful reforms to workers, while navigating the balance between business-friendly policies and the needs of the working class.
