TUC 2025 Roundup: Wednesday

Union Matters September 11 2025

 

The final day of the 157th Trades Union Congress (TUC) was one marked by CWU delegates setting the agenda over developing positive reforms for the future of the labour movement, as well as fighting for new workers standing up for themselves in the here and now.

After a profoundly moving speech from Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions general secretary Shaher Saed, motions were passed attacking Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Britain, along with reaffirmations of support for the Palestinian people and the anti-apartheid movement’s right to protest and organise.

This was then followed by a CWU motion which would commit the TUC to reforms that would involve having a regularly elected general secretary and deputy general secretary, as well as to reorganise the TUC so that it is organised by the need to expand collective bargaining rights in every sector of the economy.

Moving the motion, CWU general secretary Dave Ward warned of how less than a quarter (22%) of workers in Britain were members of trade unions – “this is something we cannot ignore, something which means we can’t carry on doing the things we’ve been doing.

Discussing the millions of jobs threatened by new tech and artificial intelligence, he then told delegates that they must not wait for Labour for change, but they must do it themselves.

Addressing the sitting TUC general secretary Paul Nowak, Dave told him: “you believe everything you say.

“But like every general secretary and representative in the workplace, you have to be re-elected.

“I put it to every union today that re-election of a TUC general secretary is a stronger position than what we’ve got now.

It would enable you or your successors to have a fresh mandate, not being technically elected for life.”

Warning conference of the dangers posed by the far-right and their “unprecedented” levels of organising, Dave said that the only way to overcome this misery is by “mobilising the overwhelming majority who are looking for something different, looking for a trade union movement.

“Isn’t it time now to seriously look at the structures that sit underneath the TUC? We’ve got ideas – we’re sure you’ve got ideas – about how to change this situation.

“Beneath its current structure, the TUC should be set up on the basis of the economy, so that we are all in the same fight with regards to unorganised workers, and to organise those workers with the same agenda – we think that is a powerful change.”

Dave was followed by powerful supportive speeches from RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey, UCU general secretary Jo Grady, Equity general secretary Paul Fleming, NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede and ASLEF delegate Andy Hudd.

The CWU lost the vote – a predictable conclusion, since the TUC General Council urged delegates to vote against – but certainly won the debate, alongside other progressive industrial unions.

Attacking TikTok union-busting

The CWU also brought forward an emergency motion defending its members in TikTok, who have been attacked in a mass redundancy announcement that whistleblowers claim was timed to coincide with a voluntary union recognition ballot announcement.

Moving the motion, CWU delegate Deji Olayinka criticised TikTok’s claims that the jobs will be replaced with AI, pointing out that job advertisements for the roles have already been sent out to workers in other countries for a fraction of the pay – something Deji denounced as “plain old capitalist greed”.

He also warned delegates of the dangers posed by relying on AI in these jobs, explaining to delegates that it is “nowhere near good enough” to replace human moderators – something that TikTok’s internal reports acknowledge.

Deji explained that the lack of taking content moderation seriously can have catastrophic outcomes, from children as young as 3 being exposed to vaping adverts and pornography to Facebook’s historic negligence in ignoring online hate which encouraged attacks on Rohingya Muslims during the 2017 genocide in Myanmar.

The content moderation team must be expanded not sacked, he said, and told the Labour government that “they have a simple choice on their hands – stand on the side of the workers’ movement, stop the redundancies, secure these much-needed jobs, and ensure we have the human moderation need to keep TikTok safe for us and our children.”

If they were allowed to sit by and “allow this union-busting to take place”, he warned, it would have aftershocks for all trade unionists, and “bosses will be doing the same to stop your members getting recognition.”

Defending disabled people

Speaking on a motion which committed Congress to wide opposition to the government’s current strategy of cutting Personal Independence Pay (PIP) and for a “more supportive” system for disabled workers, CWU delegate Lee Starr-Elliott described the “unacceptable assault on the dignity and rights of disabled people” that has so far defined Keir Starmer’s administration.

“These cuts are not mere numbers on a spreadsheet, they are the potential loss of critical support for individuals who rely on payments to cover essentially disability related costs.”

Warning delegates that if not reversed, these cuts “risk pushing individuals from employment, isolating them in communities, and deepening their financial insecurity.

“The government is sending a clear message that the lives of disabled people are less valued”.

But Lee also warned that while we must oppose disability benefit cuts, a “sound of warning” must be heard about over potential moves regarding the access to work for disabled people.

“We are already seeing statements saying disabled people must work – yet backlogs to claiming access to work is making it difficult, especially for smaller companies to support disabled employees, with some claims taking up to 30 weeks.”

He also expressed frustration at Labour considering reducing the cap on claimants’ access to work support, despite the DWP’s own figures that it is economically beneficial to maintain it.

“We need to send a loud message to Labour that we will not stand without a fight for disabled people.”