TUC 2025 Roundup: Sunday and Monday

Union Matters September 10 2025

CWU delegates at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) warned that online safety is being “sacrificed in the name of profit” as dangerous content “spreads like wildfire” across society.

In what began as a relatively quiet opening day at the 157^th Congress in Brighton, CWU NEC member Michelle Bailey warned trade unionists that online safety is being “sacrificed in the name of profit”.

Following opening remarks from TUC figures, delegates debated motions from inclusivity in schools to addressing calls for progressive change on a range of topics from hidden costs in higher education, health inequalities and local government funding.

Seconding a key motion which called for unions to take stock of the negative role social media plays in encouraging and perpetuating knife crime, Michelle urged delegates to “treat online safety as a public good” that “cannot be allowed to be threatened in the name of profit”.

Explaining the proposed redundancies of content moderators at TikTok, which occurred as they began the launch of a ballot for CWU union recognition, Michelle condemned this “disgusting way to undermine workers” and pointed out the “significant threat” to society such decisions represent.

“Without proper transparency, it’s impossible to have proper oversight that can assure the efficacy of social media platforms,” she said.

“Content that glorifies knife crime and violence is not always recognised by AI moderations systems, which is a less serious or adaptable method of doing things than human moderation systems.

As dangerous content is “spreading like wildfire”, Michelle said, there must be a national pushback against companies who “threaten our safety in the name of profit”.

Monday

Beginning considerably earlier, Monday saw delegates discuss beating the far-right and tackling the poor air quality that exists in the transport sector, a major composite motion also committed the TUC to a range of campaigning on progressive taxation, including a windfall tax on banks and those with the highest incomes.

Speaking on behalf of the CWU, delegate and NEC member Rob Wotherspoon attacked the government’s scrapping of winter fuel allowance and the “Kafkaesque” system of trying to get benefits support, despite the wealth of millionaires growing and growing.

Delegates shouted “shame” as Rob described how Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United’s ‘Jim Reaper’, a Monaco-based tax exile, has a second yacht worth £100 million – a price, Rob pointed out, that would take the average British worker 3000 years of work to earn.

Rob decried criticism of more taxation, telling delegates that “even if a modest wealth tax is proposed, millionaires have never had it so good” and dismissing chancellor Rachel Reeves’ talk of a “black hole in the finances” when there is a “moral black hole”at the heart of government if anyone believes the people who should pay for Tory austerity are the disabled and people in poverty.”

Should the government not address this, he finished, “the heaviest burden” will still fall on the poorest in society – “and if we don’t make this tough decision” to impose a fairer tax system, “we open the door to the far-right and let them in.”

Delegate and Head of Equality, Education and Development Kate Hudson also spoke on a motion about the rise of online abuse targeting women, calling for the government to adopt “clear definitions of misogynistic content” and “making enforcement consistent” in laws related to online abuse – a failure to do so, Kate argued, “means that harmful content can remain online for too long”.

She concluded by saying that “if we are serious about ending violence against women and girls, we must tackle online abuse head on – we need stronger protections, clear regulations and proactive enforcement to make the digital world safer for everybody.”

Democratising our movement

Following the end of proceedings, the CWU hosted the biggest conference so far to discuss the motion of reforming the TUC and rebuilding the labour movement, with CWU general secretary Dave Ward, UCU general secretary Jo Grady and RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey all speaking.

Opening the meeting, Eddie went into historic depth at how repeated political decisions have weakened and depoliticised the trade union movement.

“These were decisions taken that diminished our movement now, compared to where it was before.

“If we are to have any resurgence in our movement, we need to start making decisions that understand and begin to reverse this weakness.

“My fear is that if we don’t come together and get the development of the TUC back on the agenda, we will never sort out our affairs as a movement.

“Instead of addressing what’s in front of us, we will continue to wither and wither, millions of members down, and a memory of a movement, not the vibrant presence in society we can be.”

Following Eddie was Jo Grady, who opened by quoting Tony Benn’s vision of the labour movement as fighting for a “fundamental and irreversible shift in the power and wealth in favour of working people and their families”.

“We need a TUC that’s serious about engaging unions, developing tactics, and knows that it will be able to push forward when politicians fail.

“This can all come about by widening the democratic participation of its affiliates.

“It has nothing to be scared by the idea of democratic change – the TUC, like our movement, is not a dynasty.”

Finally, Dave Ward reminded delegates that “the decline of our movement has been clear for decades.

“Only around 12% of private sector workers are in unions, and we can’t properly address that as a movement right now.

“We need the much wider democratic opening of the TUC to accommodate for fresh talent, and fresh organisation, so that people can meet these challenges head on today.”

Dave also heavily emphasised the need for sectoral collective bargaining, so that fighting for workers such as those at Amazon and major gig employers would be so much easier to collectively organise and gain better conditions for.