Along with the leaves changing colour and the weather getting colder, political conferences are a staple of the British autumn. 2024 was no different, and Community played an active role at both the TUC Congress in Brighton and the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool last month. Here’s a round-up of what our officials and delegates got up to.
TUC Congress
Community delegate and NEC member Jacqueline Thomas spoke on the TUC Congress stage in support of our motion on implementing a carbon border adjustment mechanism. The motion was carried by Congress.
In her speech, Jacqueline – who works at Llanwern Steelworks in Newport – spoke about the importance of the steel industry in building a greener economy, and the pressing need for policies to level the playing field for UK Steel producers.
Jacqueline said:
“If we don’t act urgently to implement a robust carbon border adjustment mechanism then we can risk the UK steel market being flooded by cheap high carbon steel while our greener steel industry is smothered. Our domestic steel industry should not be left without support that it needs to thrive.
“Community welcomes the Labour government’s pledge in its manifesto to implement CBAM for the United Kingdom, but we can’t delay. Years of the last Conservative government dragging their little heels on this issue means we’ve fallen far behind the European Union. We are therefore calling upon the TUC to work with the Labour government to design and implement a robust CBAM to support decarbonization of domestic steel production and create the economic environment and support that will allow us to save the environment and safeguard our industry.”
Community delegate Morgan Irvine spoke on a motion on ensuring that young people have a say on the way that AI is used in their workplaces. Morgan, a first time speaker and delegate, works at Shotton Steelworks in North Wales. Speaking from the stage, Morgan said:
“We need to consider the way in which we use AI, and how we use it in in a way that ensures young workers like myself – and indeed the entire workforce in the UK and beyond – can seize the opportunity of AI and not be disadvantaged by its challenges.
“Community Union is already doing work with Google to train our members on how they can use AI for their benefit in their workplaces. We need to ensure that young workers have the knowledge, the say and the ability to use AI to improve their working lives and improve their workplaces.”
We were also delighted that our motion on health and safety in school buildings – moved on the conference stage by Community NEC member Teresa Bottomley – was carried by Congress. The motion from our education sector called on the TUC to 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.
It also calls for increased investment in the school rebuilding programme (and future programmes) in England – akin to the Welsh Labour Government’s transformative 21st Century Schools programme – to ensure the school estate is safe and fit for purpose.
In her speech to TUC congress, Teresa said:
“When we go to work, we expect the building we work in to be safe. Employers can be held accountable if they are not and the courts can levy significant fines. Similarly, we expect our public buildings to also be safe.
“It is clear that because of the state of our school-buildings, our workforce is at risk. Family members – our children – are at risk from out-of-date, poorly maintained and crumbling estates. Funding into our schools has been cut, cut and cut again so there is no money for maintenance and few site staff to carry it out.
“We need renewed investment into our education infrastructure, rebuilding and replacing buildings that are past their design life and no longer fit for purpose.”
Labour conference
Labour Women’s Conference kicked off a productive conference in Liverpool. Community NEC member Angela Karrigan spoke on the conference stage in support of a composite motion on the pressures women face as working parents and carers.
In her speech, Angela highlighted the important role of the early years workforce in providing accessible childcare to working mums.
Angela Karrigan said:
“Over the last fourteen years, the diligent early years workforce has helped hold together a system that is badly faltering. The sector has been chronically underfunded, and we’ve seen a staff recruitment and retention crisis take hold, compounded by stagnant pay and a lack of proper recognition for staff.
“That’s why Community launched our Early Years Charter in 2023, calling for proper recognition of the specialised work that early years staff and nannies undertake, as well as increased funding for early years’ settings and improved wages for hard-working staff. With a Labour government in place, there is now an opportunity to turn the page on an era of Tory neglect.
“The government’s ambition to fix the Early Years system and place Early Years at the centre of a wider vision to reform the education sector is hugely welcome – both for dedicated staff and the working families who are reliant on these vital services.”
As has become traditional, Community held our Saturday night welcome reception for MPs, delegates and guests. Speakers at the reception included Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson MP, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds MP, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden MP and new Community Parliamentary Group Chair Jessica Morden MP. In his speech at the reception, our General Secretary Roy Rickhuss CBE welcomed the new Labour government and nearly 100 Community MPs to the government benches in Parliament following the General Election.
Roy Rickhuss said:
“We’ve had plenty of memorable conference nights over the last fourteen years, but they’ve always been tinged with the underlying sense of frustration that comes with being in opposition. I’m delighted to say that those days are now firmly in the rear view mirror – as are the likes of Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss and Sunak. Because in 2024, the grown-ups are back.
With Keir Starmer in Downing Street, ambition is back. Hope is back. Optimism is back. And Labour is back. July 4th was a wonderful night for the party and the country – and it was also a fantastic night for Community. Among the new intake of Labour MPs were a whopping 75 Community members, joining 20 returning Community members from the last parliament.”
The following day Roy led our panel event with SME4Labour on the future of the UK Steel industry, where the other speakers included Steel Minister Sarah Jones MP, Chris McDonald MP, Stephen Kinnock MP, and UK Steel Director Gareth Stace. In his remarks during the panel discussion, Roy spoke about the crucial importance of the steel industry to national security and sovereignty, as well as our environment.
Roy said:
“It’s a common misconception that steel is a climate problem when, in fact, steel is absolutely vital for any climate solution.
“The truth is that you can’t build a greener economy without a healthy steel industry. Whether it’s for offshore or onshore wind turbines, electric vehicles, energy-efficient buildings, or any other form of green infrastructure in the public or private sector – steel is the key component. And there’s no reason why we shouldn’t produce that steel here in the UK: we’ve got the expertise and the experience to make a success of it.”
On the Sunday evening, our Assistant General Secretary Alasdair McDiarmid addressed a crowded Labour Unions and Trade Union Group Rally in the Arena and Convention. In his speech – which was preceded by remarks from the PM Keir Starmer and followed up by remarks by Deputy PM Angela Rayner! – Alasdair spoke powerfully about the difference a Labour government can make for working people and for all our members across different sectors.
Alasdair said:
“Our movement has a core role to play in the task of rebuilding our country. We need to work with our Labour Government to develop the policies and programmes that will make our members lives better and our country better.
“As always the work of our movement continues, but for the first time in years we have a Government that wants to work with us. Lets seize the opportunity and do the hard work today, to build a better working world for tomorrow.”
Our Head of Policy and Communications Dominic Armstrong was a speaker at a series of fringe events. Dominic spoke at Britain Remade’s Monday panel event on the potential impact of planning reforms on workers, and was also a panellist at a packed Labour Housing Group fringe event on the road to building the 1.5 million homes Britain needs. At both events, Dominic highlighted how steel made in Britain can play a crucial role in new infrastructure investment, and spoke about the impact of good quality housing for our members and working people more widely.
On Tuesday, Roy Rickhuss joined a panel discussion on bridging the tech skills gap and the opportunities of AI. Other speakers at the panel included Employment Minister Alison McGovern, Michaela Neild from Google, Theo Bertram from the Social Market Foundation, and Yasmeen Sebbana from Public First, who worked closely with Community on our Beyond Bars report for workers in the justice sector. In his speech at the panel event, Roy spoke about Community’s exciting partnership with Google on supporting and upskilling our members and reps, and harnessing the potential of AI.
Roy said:
“We firmly believe that AI has the potential to make jobs more efficient, more flexible, and more rewarding for workers across the country. But to ensure AI works for working people, which is our priority, we need to empower and support them with the AI skills they will increasingly need.
“As a union we’re incredibly proud of the learning, skills development and training opportunities we provide to our members, and digital skills are a big part of that. We say ‘digital skills’, but these are actually life skills in a digital world.”
Away from the fringes, Community officials also held a range of meetings with UK and Welsh Government ministers present to highlight the issues facing our members across different sectors.
Roy Rickhuss, Alasdair McDiarmid and our Head of Politics Liron Woodcock-Velleman took part in meetings with First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan MS, Labour’s new General Secretary Hollie Ridley, Treasury Minister Darren Jones MP, Foreign Secretary David Lammy MP and Industry Minister Sarah Jones MP. Liron also participated in a roundtable event on building a progressive eco-system, whilst Roy and Community’s Assistant Director of Operations Tiffany Gillies met with Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting to discuss the need for improved recognition for dental nurses.
Roy, Alasdair and Liron were also honoured to meet with family members of the Israeli citizens who were taken hostage during the October 7th atrocities last year. We stand in absolute solidarity with the families of those taken and call for the unconditional release of all hostages, as well as an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.
Community’s delegates to the conference were also present for a number of keynote speeches in the conference hall. These included the speeches from Chancellor Rachel Reeves, which you can read here, and the leader’s address from Keir Starmer – the first from a Labour Prime Minister since 2009. You can read Keir’s speech here.
Our officials and delegates left Liverpool feeling energised and enthused for the years ahead, and look forward to working with the Labour government to benefit our members across every sector of the workforce. After 14 long years of Tory neglect, we now have an opportunity to make Britain fairer, and to return politics to the service of working people.
If you are a member of Community and need advice or support, please contact our Service Centre at help@community-tu.org or on 0800 389 6332.
© Community Trade Union 2024