Trade unions urge UK's Labour government to improve public services

British trade unions host their annual meeting in Brighton on Sunday as they call for the new Labour government to fix public services and improve working conditions.

The conference is hosted by the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the organising body that represents a large part of trade unions in England and Wales, and will run until Wednesday.

“It’s the first TUC congress in 15 years under a Labour government. It’s a big deal,” a TUC spokesperson told AFP.

“We are ready to work with this government after 14 years of chaos,” the spokesperson added.

The Labour Party has historically been allied with trade union organisations, which contribute a substantial amount to the party’s income.

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A government figure is set to speak at the conference on Tuesday – Prime minister Keir Starmer’s name has been circulated, although this is unconfirmed.

The TUC is calling for the new government to provide a “long-term plan to fix public services”, which are struggling to attract and retain staff as salaries have lagged over recent years while work loads have been heavy.

Coming to power after 14 years of Conservative rule, the Labour Party has already guaranteed above-inflation wage increases in frontline services, many of which have faced a series of strikes over the past few years, from rail to health.

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This is a “crucial first step”, according to the TUC.

However, the TUC wants the government to go further and fully compensate civil servants for the decline in their purchasing power over the last 14 years.

While the recently appointed chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves, promises “iron discipline” over public finances, trade unions could pile the pressure on the centre-left Labour party.

In their election manifesto, the Labour party laid out proposals to legally ban practises such as “fire and rehire” – where employers let workers go in order to rehire them on contracts with inferior terms – and to ban zero-hours contracts, which leave workers without a minimum number of hours to be worked.

The government’s proposals are “good for workers and employers”, TUC secretary general Paul Nowak said on X.

He warned that “if you’ve built your business model on low-paid, insecure employment, you will need to change”.