Conference Day Two Roundup

Day two of Community Union’s Biennial Delegates Conference was action packed, filled with political speeches and a surprise Q&A from three former Welsh Rugby Union players.

Elsewhere, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Paul Nowak, captivated the room with a speech about stemming the far-right, while our Assistant General Secretary Alasdair McDiarmid addressed Conference in a speech updating members on the union’s progress across the sectors.

Welsh rugby legends make a surprise visit

Shane Williams, James Hook and Adam Jones

In a Q&A session, former Welsh rugby players Shane Williams, James Hook and Adam Jones reflected on their careers and spoke of the comradery among players. 

Delegates took pictures with the trio outside our conference hall where members were also able to speak to our staff manning the legal services, equalities and learning stalls.

Caroline Taylor, our National Secretary for Finance spoke on the launch of our #FairFutureForFinance campaign, and our Responsible AI Charter.

We’re proud to be shaping the future of the finance sector, and fighting to protect our members from being replaced by AI. 👇… pic.twitter.com/M79P9nfCiv

— Community Union (@CommunityUnion) July 8, 2026

Among our NEC speakers of the day were National NEC Member for LGBT+, Paul Thomas, and National Officer for Light Industries, Paul McKenna.

We also heard from David Weeks, our National Officer for the Third Sector, and Caroline Taylor, our National Secretary for Finance, who spoke on the launch of our Fair Future for Finance campaign, and our Responsible AI Charter.

Across the day members voted on motions to do with pay conditions in schools, the hidden cost of backpain and modernising the light industries.

Other activities included a trip to Barry Island and fringe events on tackling environmental risks and new rights at work, following the passing of the Employment Rights Act.

TUC General Secretary gives message to incoming Prime Minister

The General Secretary of the TUC spoke about the strength of union action and told delegates three of the TUC’s priorities for the year ahead, including the Government promise to Make Work Pay.

Unity in action. 🤝

A massive thank you to @nowak_paul and @The_TUC for joining us at our #StrongUnionStrongFuture conference.

Paul’s powerful speech reaffirmed what drives us every single day: our shared commitment to standing up and fighting for every worker across every… pic.twitter.com/RIZ77l3qqv

— Community Union (@CommunityUnion) July 8, 2026

Paul Nowak said:

“We need a fundamental reset and our new Prime Minister must show in that first 100 days that he’s on the side of working class people – to stand up to the rich and powerful who are already trying to water down his future agenda.

“So my message to the incoming Prime Minister is simply this – it is time to take the handbrake off.

“It’s time to deliver Labour’s manifesto commitments. It’s time to be bold, deliver. Make Work Pay in full.

“Ensure every single penny of public procurement goes to firms that recognise unions and offer dignity and security to workers, build closer relations with Europe to boost trade, growth and jobs.

“And one more thing, have the courage to ask those who’ve done very well over the last few years to pay a fairer share.

“If Jeff Bezos can afford to send Katy Perry into space while he’s union busting in this country, Amazon can pay more tax.

“And if bankers can award themselves record bonuses – twenty-four billion pounds last year, they can pay more tax.

“And if Christopher Harborne can give Nigel Farage 5 million pounds, he can pay more tax in this country as well.

“Listen, my third and final priority is this. We have to deliver that change if we are serious about stemming the rise of the populist and far-right.”

Our Assistant General Secretary praises union’s growth

In the afternoon our Assistant General Secretary spoke about the growth of our union and how it is ready to meet the challenges of the future.

Alasdair McDiarmid said: 

“I am extremely proud that, in spite of all the headwinds, over these past two years we’ve been able to grow our union- welcoming thousands of new members into our ranks – very much bucking the trend in the trade union movement.

“And it’s not just the last two years over which our union has grown. Far from it, because since our General Secretary was first elected in 2013 our union has doubled in membership – an exceptional and unparalleled achievement.

“Of course success doesn’t happen by accident, it’s a product of hard work, good decision-making and bold thinking.

“It’s about seizing opportunities to organise in new workplaces and in new sectors – as we’re doing in the third sector and in logistics, and through our innovations to support self-employed workers.

“It’s about training and education, through continually updating and improving what we do to ensure our reps and our staff are as highly skilled, thoroughly resourced and fully supported as they can be.

“Success comes from committing resources effectively, on the right priorities.”

You can read about what happened at day one of BDC here.