LTB 316/24 – TRADES UNION CONGRESS 2024: CWU DELEGATION REPORT

No:   316/24

TO:    ALL BRANCHES

Dear Colleague

TRADES UNION CONGRESS 2024: CWU DELEGATION REPORT

The 2023 Trades Union Congress took place from Sunday 9th September at the Brighton Conference Centre, Brighton.

All unions were entitled to submit two motions to the agenda. 

The CWU National Executive Council agreed the following motions:-

MOTION 1 – NEW DEAL NEXT STEPS – SECTORIAL BARGAINING

Congress celebrates the decisive election of a Labour government. One of Labour’s flagship policies, the New Deal for Workers, is a comprehensive package that has been fought for by trade unions and our members.

Congress recognises that a Labour government implementing the New Deal for Workers is a crucial first step in reshaping the world of work.

However, restoring workers’ rights is only one part of transforming our economy in favour of working people. Trade unions must now work together like never before and ensure that sectoral collective bargaining accompanies the implementation of the New Deal for Workers so we can build back power in workplaces across the country.

Congress recognises that we have previously agreed to a review of how the TUC operates and to publish collective bargaining strategies for multiple sectors across the economy, however, this has not happened. We must seize the opportunity that the Labour government presents and use this era of change to focus on the root of our power- our collective strength.

Congress resolves:

• For the TUC to host a collective bargaining summit in the next six months, for trade unions to discuss strategies for setting common bargaining agendas in multiple sectors.

  
  

• Following this, for the TUC General Council to establish and agree a collective bargaining strategy for multiple sectors across the economy, to be published no later than six months after the summit.

  
  

• For the TUC to urge the Labour government to expand upon their plans for introducing sectoral collective bargaining

  
  

MOTION 2 – TECHNOLOGY IN THE WORKPLACE

“Congress believes that the rapid proliferation of the use of new or advanced technologies in the workplace has left trade unions, and their members, on the back foot.

Surveillance technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) are being rapidly expanded and used to exacerbate workplace inequalities, create pressure on staff and in some cases, create an unsafe work environment. Congress believes that if these technologies continue to be introduced in our workplaces without consultation and agreement, they will result in a degradation of pay, terms and conditions and infringe on our basic human rights.

Congress believes there is also a growing problem in the lack of knowledge and policy surrounding the development of technologies like AI and that the labour movement must improve our resources if we are to confront the inappropriate use of these technologies in the workplace.

Congress believes that the gap in workers’ rights in regards to technology must be addressed and an iron-clad legal right to consultation must be introduced.

Congress resolves:

• To work with the Labour Party and the Government to ensure that the legal right to consult trade unions on the introduction of new technologies is enshrined in law

  
  

• To invest in a major research project which identifies the use of and the risks of technology, including tracking and AI, in workplaces across multiple sectors

  
  

• Make the TUC campaign against the unscrupulous use of technology in the workplace a key initiative for 2024.”

COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION

2024 TRADES UNION CONGRESS – BRIGHTON

MINUTES OF THE TUC DELEGATION MEETING

HELD IN THE KEATES AND SHELLEY ROOM, LEONARDO ROYAL BRIGHTON HOTEL (WATERFRONT), KINGS ROAD, BRIGHTON

ON SUNDAY 8TH SEPTEMBER AT 11 A.M.

______________________________________________________________

PRESENT: Dave Ward, Martin Walsh, Karen Rose, Mick Kavanagh, Maria Exall, James Samuels, Tina Holmes, Rob Wotherspoon, Ali Moosa, Josh Barclay, Graham Colk, Fiona Curtis, Peter Francis, Adam Alarakhia, Scott Hartles, Sajid Shaikh, Lee Starr – Elliott, Steve Croke

IN ATTENDANCE: Chloe Koffman, Lionel Sampson, Janina Jackson, Chris Webb, Kate Hudson

The delegation meeting held a minute’s silence in memory of Andy Kerr former

Deputy General Secretary Telecoms

1       WELCOME – INTRODUCTIONS & APOLOGIES

The Chair welcomed all CWU Delegates to the meeting in particular those who were attending the TUC Congress for the first time and asked the delegation to introduce themselves to the meeting.

Apologies were received from Quincy Raymond – domestic, Tony Kearns would be arriving late on Sunday due to OUB.

2        GENERAL SECRETARY OVERVIEW

The Senior Deputy General Secretary welcomed all delegates and talked about the new Labour government and informed delegates that there would probably be more media interest this year.

3        EXPLANATION OF TUC DOCUMENTS

Bill Taylor provided an explanation of the TUC pack provided at the meeting which included:

 General Council Report 2024

• Final Agenda 2024

• GPC Report and Consolidated Final Agenda 2024

• Congress Guide 2024

4.       CWU POLICY POSITION ON MOTIONS AND AMENDMENTS

The SDGS went through the CWU policy position on motions and amendments.

8th September 2024CWU Research

TUC Congress 2024 Final Agenda

Policy recommendations for the delegation meeting and suggestions for CWU interventions

Table 1: CWU motions to move, amended by CWU, and possible other interventions

Action	Motion	Title/description
Move	22	Takeover of Royal Mail
	72	New deal next steps – sectoral collective bargaining
Amended by CWU	2	Repeal anti-union laws
	11	Fixing our broken economy
Possible other interventions	09	Miscarriage leave
	19	Climate change and workers’ health
	23	Public interest regulation
	40	Asda workers deserve better
	44	Suicide prevention and awareness
	49	Public services
	62	Training and skills
	73	End discrimination by algorithm: equality safeguards for AI
	74	AI and the banking industry

Table 2: Policy recommendations for the delegation meeting

Motion	Details of Motion	Union	CWU Position S = Support O = Oppose
Section 1 – Protecting the right to strike and winning a new deal
01 End of the hostile environment towards workers	Congress calls on the recently elected UK government to realise its manifesto pledges in respect of workers’ rights to bring a swift end to the hostile environment that workers have experienced for the past few decades.	Educational Institute of Scotland Amend Unite Amend USDAW Amend PCS	S
02 Repeal anti-union laws	Congress recommits to the TUC’s longstanding policy for the repeal of all anti-union laws and for positive legal rights for trade unions.	Fire Brigades Union Amend CWU Amend ASLEF	S
03 Repeal Section 127 Criminal Justice Public Order Act 1994	Congress commits the General Council to campaign to also repeal Section 127 of the Criminal Justice Public Order Act 1994 which restricts prison officer grades in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from taking any form of industrial action.	POA	S
04 Ban upfront fees charged to performers by casting directories	Calls for casting directory fees to be borne by producers, not workers	Equity	S
05 Migrant workers’ rights	Calls for collective bargaining and full employment rights to be made available to migrant workers.	ASLEF Amend Prospect	S
06 Fair pay for freelances	Calls for fair pay and collective bargaining rights for freelances	National Union of Journalists Amend Prospect Amend Artists Union England	S
07 Deliver freedom of association and prevent another P&O Ferries scandal	Calls to ensure another P&O Ferries scandal can never happen again and seafarers can avail of the same protections as their shore-based counterparts.	Nautilus International Amend RMT	S
08 Informational picketing	trade unions rely on informational picketing, a form of public demonstration done for the purpose of educating the public to raise awareness about workplace issue The motion calls for a campaign to lift unnecessary restrictions on trade unions engaging in informational picketing	Association of Flight Attendants	S
09 Miscarriage leave	Those who have had the tragic experience of a miscarriage before 24 weeks, have no right to bereavement leave and are ineligible for maternity or paternity leave. The motion calls for a campaign for the introduction of a day one right to paid miscarriage leave for anyone (irrespective of employment status) who has experienced a miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy, coupled with the provision of specialist support that recognises the extremely traumatic experience of miscarriage for all those involved.	NASUWT Amend USDAW Amend Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Amend FDA	S
10 Childcare	Calls for stronger rights and protections at work, including a right to flexible working and family friendly working arrangements that support women with childcare responsibilities to return and remain in the workplace.	TUC Women’s Conference	S
Section 2 – Building a fairer economy
11 Fixing our broken economy	Demands a wealth tax on the richest 1 per cent and other measures such as an automatic right to trade union recognition where most workers want it.	Unite the Union Amend CWU	S
12 Labour’s economic strategy	Calls for the new Labour Government to deliver a significant real-terms increase in public spending and investment, both as an immediate necessity and as part of a longer-term economic strategy for sustainable growth.	National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers	S
13 Fair tax	Congress calls upon the TUC to make the case for a more progressive taxation system, including: ·       Equalising capital gains tax in line with income tax ·       Closing Inheritance Tax loopholes ·       Applying national insurance to investment income ·       Closing private equity tax loopholes	Accord	S
14 A workers’ transition for the North Sea	The motion notes that over 30,000 off-shore North Sea oil and gas jobs, plus seven to eight times that number in the supply chain, are under threat. States that congress does not believe that we can abandon fossil fuels until we know how we will replace them. Demands that no ban on new licenses for drilling is introduced, before a fully funded Workers’ Plan guaranteeing commensurate jobs for all North Sea workers, is agreed	Unite	O	.
15 Industrial strategy is national security	Congress commits to: i)               an industrial strategy policy that maximises our domestic energy strengths for national security, with all assets and options part of the solution: nuclear, renewables and oil and gas production ii)              ii. backing the build of Sizewell C, and supporting Small Modular Reactors	GMB Amend Unite Amend Nautilus International	?	.
16 Union recognition agreement promise	Calls for a commitment from Labour to ensure that any company that receives funding from Labour’s National Wealth Fund to incentivise companies to offer good jobs, that these companies must have a union recognition agreement that supports collective bargaining, with an independent trade union who is affiliated to the TUC.	Aegis	S
17 Climate emergency – the next steps	Congress calls on the UK government to address the climate emergency as it would any other, with a rapid transition away from fossil fuels to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown	UNISON Amend UCU Amend FDA	S
18 Climate change	States that we need a rapid transition away from fossil fuels to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown. Calls for negotiated transition plans that guarantee protection for all workers in all sectors of the economy	Public and Commercial Services Union	Support motion Oppose amendment Amend GMB
19 Climate change and workers’ health	Congress welcomes the idea of organising a Heat Strike as joint days of action between workers, trade unions and climate justice groups using the youth climate strikes model. The Heat Strike is not legal union strike but can take many forms by workers and citizens including direct actions, protests, workplace lunchtime walkouts, awareness raising, lobbying of politicians or community actions.	Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union Amend FBU	S
20 Relations with Europe	Congress believes that the negative consequences of the UK’s mismanaged exit from the European Union are increasingly impossible to ignore. Congress calls on the General Council to campaign for: a. rapid progress on reducing trade barriers ongoing dynamic alignment of social protections and regulations streamlined processes for essential cross-border movement of workers and equipment renegotiation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement as an overall goal.	Educational Institute of Scotland Amend Musicians’ Union	S
21 UK Steel and a carbon border adjustment mechanism	Congress recognises that domestic steel will be more necessary than ever for building the low-carbon, sustainable economy of the future. Calls for a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism that supports the decarbonisation of domestic steel production, whilst protecting the competitiveness and sustainability of the industry.	Community	S
22 Takeover of Royal Mail	Supports postal workers in securing comprehensive protections in the takeover of Royal Mail, including protections against job losses and in their calls for a new ownership and governance model.	CWU Amend ASLEF	Move
23 Public interest regulation	Congress calls on the TUC General Council to lobby for a new, more sophisticated approach to economic regulation that ensures commercial and cost considerations are balanced by explicit responsibility, oversight and provision for vital public priorities.	Prospect	S
24 Protect arts workers’ freedom of expression	Calls to lobby the government and the Arts Council to work with trade unions to produce guidance which affirms artists’ freedom of expression and makes clear that attempts to censor artists represent a risk to organisations and their public funding.	Equity Amend Artists’ Union England	S
25 Funding cuts and impact on jobs	Musicians’ livelihoods are on the line with data showing that, on average, they make £20,000 a year. Conference calls on the General Council to lobby the government to prioritise funding of the arts as part of their plan for economic growth.	Musicians’ Union	S
26 A manifesto for artists	Calls for a restoration and increase of public funding of the arts, as well as the exploration of new avenues for funding artists, including start-up grants for cooperatives.	Artists’ Union England	S
27 Restoring trust in the media	Congress instructs the General Council to support the NUJ’s News Recovery Plan.	National Union of Journalists	S
28 Labour government and a progressive transport agenda	Congress agrees the General Council will work with affiliates to campaign to ensure the delivery of a progressive transport agenda	National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Amend Nautilus International	S
29 Railfreight renationalisation	Congress calls on the General Council to lobby the UK government for the expansion of publicly owned railfreight services eventually resulting in a fully renationalised railfreight sector.	ASLEF	S
30 Turning the tide on merchant navy decline and support maritime employment	Congress implores the UK government to protect our domestic shipping industry, to create good jobs and training and grow the UK flag by exploring implementing cabotage laws, including favourable public procurement policies for shipowners employing UK crew and operating UK registered vessels.	Nautilus International	S
31 National food strategy	Calls for a comprehensive food strategy White Paper, a statutory right to accessible, affordable and nutritious food, and universal free school meals for all primary children.	British Dietetic Association Amend Educational Institute of Scotland Amend Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Amend FBU	S
32 The future of football and the need for player engagement	Congress supports the continued work of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) to ensure that players and their unions are properly and formally represented in decisions regarding the future of the game.	Professional Footballers’ Association	S
33 Universal credit	Congress calls on the Labour government to positively promote properly funded social security and employment reform as an integral part of a functioning modern society.	Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers Amend PCS	S
34 A fair personal independence payment	Calls on the government and the DWP establish a new fairer system personal independence payment claims.	TUC Disabled Workers Conference	S
35 Access to housing for public sector professionals	Calls for improved access to affordable, secure rented housing for public sector professionals, alongside legislation to secure rent control and improve tenant rights.	Society of Radiographers	S
36 Housing that works for all	Calls for unions to work with government in training a new generation of skilled construction workers, and ii. work with employers in the private sector to improve the employment model, ensuring those workers have a secure future.	National House Building Council Staff Association	S
Section 3 – Building a stronger, more diverse movement
37 Challenging the politics of hate	Calls for TUC and affiliates to challenge the politics of hate by raising awareness of Reform’s policies for the workplace and society and scrutinise and hold to account Reform’s elected representatives.	UNISON Amend NEU Amend NASUWT	S
38 Misogyny in music	Conference calls on the TUC to lobby government to implement the recommendations from the Women and Equalities Committee Misogyny in Music report in full	Musicians’ Union	S
39 Fighting the far-right narrative, hate crimes and hate speech to defend LGBT+ rights	Conference also calls on the TUC to challenge all forms of anti-trans narratives and hate speech	TUC Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender+ Conference	S
40 ASDA workers deserve better	Since TDR Capital and the Issa Brothers bought ASDA in the largest debt-leveraged buyout ever of a UK company, over eight million hours have been stripped from the shop floor – making ASDA workers’ jobs harder. ASDA’s balance sheet is now loaded with over £6bn of debt. Prior to TDR’s private equity ownership there was no debt. Congress commits to urging the Labour government to protect jobs, consumers and food security from high risk indebted business models by improving corporate governance standard and giving workers voices on company boards and fulfilling its commitment to close private equity’s ‘carried interest’ tax loophole.	GMB	S
41 Closing the gender pay gap	Government has a stated ambition of permanently closing the gender pay gap. But a clear action plan is needed to achieve this in public services.	Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Amend Royal College of Podiatry	S
42 Addressing the ethnicity pay gap	Closing the ethnicity pay gap is fundamental to achieving equality for Black workers. Conference calls on the TUC Race Relations Committee to: i. encourage the incorporation of ethnicity, pay gap reporting as a standard practice in corporate disclosures ii. call for legislation to make ethnicity pay gap reporting mandatory	TUC Black Workers Conference	S
43 Tackling sexual harassment in the workplace	Congress agrees to work with the BFAWU on a campaign to bring into legislation a new requirement for reporting cases of sexual harassment and violence similar to reporting accidents in the workplace (RIDDOR) and to lobby the incoming government to create and resource a new, cross-cooperation panel to overview sexual harassment in the workplace between TUC, EHRC and HSE	Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union	S
44 Suicide prevention and awareness	Congress believes that unions have a critical role to play in advocating for effective strategies and support systems that address suicide prevention and awareness in the workplace.	NASUWT Amend Artists’ Union England	S
45 Inclusivity in maternity services	The RCM wants to encourage people from a range of backgrounds and neurominorities into the profession. This is vital as midwives help mothers and families from a range of 35 backgrounds and neurotypes. They deserve to be cared for by people who understand the challenges they face.	Royal College of Midwives	S
46 Mental illness in prisons	Congress instructs the general council to campaign for properly funded health interventions in our communities that deal with mental health issues and divert people away from prison and for those individuals to get the treatment they deserve from health care professionals.	POA	S
47 Promoting opportunities for young people with neurodiversity challenges	Calls for TUC to actively encourage employers to create and promote opportunities specifically tailored for young people with neurodiversity challenges.	Aegis Amend Association of Educational Psychologists	S
Section 4 – Winning a better future for working people
48 Standing up for care workers	Calls on the General Council to: i.               support the development of a Fair Pay Agreement in adult social care ii.              campaign for a credible workforce strategy and an end to the exploitation of migrant workers iii.             work with other organisations in the sector demanding change and the development of a National Care Service.	UNISON Amend GMB	S
49 Public services	Congress notes the findings of the report by Dr Mark Williams which confirms that civil service wages were 5 per cent above average in the 1970s and 1980s but are now 10 per cent below average Congress agrees to campaign for: i. radical improvements to collective bargaining structures and coverage across the economy, particularly in the public sector.	Public and Commercial Services Union Amend Educational Institute of Scotland	S
50 Public service rejuvenation	Congress calls on the TUC to work with the new government to pursue an ambitious partnership agenda for public services rejuvenation and pay recovery.	Chartered Society of Physiotherapy	S
51 A new deal for public sector workers	If the public sector is to be a career of choice, then any new deal must include: i.               pay reform that delivers competitive pay ii.              a flexible working offer that can help attract and retain talent iii.             greater flexibility to work between sectors iv.            a public sector wide strategy to celebrate the value of public service	Society of Radiographers Amend Royal College of Podiatry	S
52 Fair pay and terms and conditions for NHS staff on bank contracts	Bank contracts are effectively zero-hours contracts. Extensive use of bank staff is not a sustainable and efficient way of managing staff shortages in the NHS in the medium and long term.	Royal College of Midwives Amend UNISON	S
53 Fair pay for NHS staff	Congress recognises that the NHS is currently facing a crisis, with shortages of staff, including dietitians, impacting the quality of care and resulting in a workforce that feels undervalued and overstretched. Fair pay for NHS staff is crucial to address these challenges, ensure safe staffing levels, and provide high-quality patient care.	British Dietetic Association	S
54 Wellbeing in the workplace	TUC to support: i.               asking workplaces to delve deep into the support given to staff and to understand what is and is not working ii.              seeking the views of staff on what support they believe is required to keep them well and at work iii.             developing strategies for workplace reps to deal with burnout.	Royal College of Podiatry Amend Royal College of Podiatry Amend Royal College of Midwives	S
55 NHS Buildings	In the NHS for too long staff have had to put up with buildings that are not safe. We call on the TUC to work with affiliated unions to ensure that a proper programme of investment is started to ensure that our hospitals, clinics, and GP practices are fit for purpose	Royal College of Podiatry Amend Royal College of Midwives	S
56 Early diagnosis and intervention for osteoporosis	Calls on TUC to lobby Westminster and devolved governments to develop an appropriately sized workforce, with the necessary specialist DEXA skills and equipment to meet current and future demand around prevention and early Osteoporosis diagnosis.	Society of Radiographers	S
57 Freedom to speak up: protections for NHS whistleblowing	70 per cent of hospital doctors believe it is not possible to raise patient safety concerns without detriment to their careers. Congress calls on General Council to campaign for: i. an independent whistleblowing agency ii. a new criminal offence of causing detriment to those who make protected disclosures	Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association	S
58 Ethical government	Congress recognises that if standards are to be raised, then they must be enforced by robust, politically impartial regulators. Congress calls on the general council to lobby the new government for: i. reform of the ministerial code to separate the regulation of conduct of ministers from elements which relate to the conduct of government business	FDA	S
59 Invest in our fire and rescue service	Congress demands from the Westminster government: i. long-term, sustained investment in the fire and rescue service ii. national standards of fire and rescue service emergency response.	Fire Brigades Union	S
60 Prisons are full but so is probation	Congress calls on the government to provide an emergency financial package for the Probation service to include sufficient funding to allow the immediate reopening of pay negotiations to try and make an impact on the operational decline by treating staff with the dignity and respect that they deserve.	Napo	S
61 Time to bring an end to unpaid overtime in Cafcass	This TUC instructs the General Council to establish dialogue with the new minister for family justice to initiate a review into excessive work levels in Cafcass and find a solution to this perennial problem.	Napo
62 Training and skills	Working people must be given the best chances of succeeding in the workplaces of the future and to do that, the Labour government must deliver a whole new skills framework	Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers Amend UNISON	S
63 Collaborating to win	Congress calls on all education unions to work collaboratively to organise unorganised support staff, to make all support staff voices heard across the bargaining table and launch a joint campaign of collective action to bring their conditions of service in line with teachers.	National Education Union	S
64 Education is the engine of national renewal	Congress resolves to lobby the government for meaningful investment in all forms of post-16 education – whether in colleges, universities, community settings or prisons – for developing the skills and opportunities needed to make the ambition of national renewal a reality	University College Union	S
65 An inclusive education system	Congress calls for an education system that: i. prioritises and enables inclusion for all ii. promotes anti-racism iii. provides early assessment, intervention and prevention iv. ensures timely access to specialists like Educational Psychologists in all settings.	Association of Educational Psychologists	S
66 No excuse for abuse	In public pronouncements made in the media and in the House of Commons, families were encouraged to complain about schools rather than work with them.  Congress instructs the General Council to campaign for the protection of school staff from abuse, alongside campaigns to protect other public sector workers.	National Association of Head Teachers	S
67 Protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of school staff	Congress asserts that all workers should be protected from unsustainable expectations, foreseeable health and safety risks, and from violence and aggression in the workplace.	Educational Institute of Scotland Amend NEU	S
68 EPs supporting school attendance	Congress calls on the government to develop best practice, in collaboration with educational psychologists and other specialists in this field, to support all children and young people to access education.	Association of Educational Psychologists	S
69 Health and safety in school buildings	Calls on the TUC to work with the government to create a national strategy for the planned removal of all asbestos containing materials, and to develop a strategy for the replacement of school buildings that are past their design life.	Community	S
70 Prison education	Congress calls on the General Council to pressure the new Labour government to: i. return prison education to the public sector ii. develop a decolonised curriculum that speaks to and engages with the majority of prisoners iii. undertake a comprehensive review of the management of the prison education system etc. etc.	University College Union	S
71 Attacks on the Teachers’ Pension Scheme	Congress condemns attempts by the United Learning Trust (ULT) to encourage staff to leave the defined benefit Teachers’ Pension Scheme.	National Association of Head Teachers Amend NASUWT Amend UCU	S
72 New deal next steps – sectoral collective bargaining	Congress resolves: i. for the TUC to host a collective bargaining summit in the next six months, for trade unions to discuss strategies for setting common bargaining agendas in multiple sectors etc. etc.	CWU Amend RMT	Move
73 End discrimination by algorithm: equality safeguards for AI	Congress calls for a Bill which regulates employers’ use of AI in the workplace.	Unite	S
74 AI and the banking industry	AI driven job displacement is predicted to be higher in financial services than in any other sector.  Congress calls for a major programme of reskilling and retraining for employees in the sector to equip them for the new roles that will evolve in the financial and broader services sectors.	Accord	S
75 AI and the arts	Instructs the TUC to lobby for: i. legislation to protect artists’ and creative workers’ intellectual property rights ii. the protection of artists’ rights in particular regarding AI and its development iii. the ethical usage of AI, with consent and appropriate remuneration of original creators for their content iv. prohibition of the use of AI in workplaces without explicit collective agreement etc. etc.	Artists’ Union England	S
76 Young workers, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation	Congress calls on the TUC Young Workers Forum to:  target support for young workers to ensure their employment is protected in the short and long term in sectors that are at high risk of automation. Work with employers and government to provide opportunities for upskilling, retraining and redeployment. Launch a campaign on the impacts of AI on young workers etc. etc.	TUC Young Workers Conference	S
77 Palestine	Congress reaffirms support for Palestinian rights and calls on the government to: i. immediately recognise the State of Palestine ii. end the arms trade with Israel iii. demand a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages and Palestinian political prisoners etc. etc.	National Education Union Amend UNISON Amend Unite	S
78 Trades Councils Conference venue	Congress notes the decision of the TUC to hold all future Trades Councils Conferences in London.  Higher costs are likely to prevent councils attending the conference on cost grounds. Congress therefore urges the TUC to revert to holding the conference at different venues around the country	TUC Trades Councils Conference	S

The following interventions were agreed and notified to the TUC.

PROPOSITION	TITLE	SPEAKER
Composite 01	End of the hostile environment towards workers and unions	Rob Wotherspoon
Composite 03	Miscarriage leave	Tina Holmes
Composite 04	Building a fairer economy	Karen Rose
Composite 05	Industrial strategy, national security and a workers’ transition	Tony Kearns
19	Climate change and workers’ health	Josh Barclay
22	Takeover of Royal Mail	Martin Walsh to Move
23	Public interest regulation	Graham Colk
Composite 08	National food strategy	Tina Holmes
33	Universal credit	Lee Starr-Elliott
34	A fair personal independence payment	Lee Starr-Elliott
Composite 09	Housing that works for all	Scott Hartles
Composite 10	Challenging the politics of hate	Adam Alarakhia
40	Asda workers deserve better	Scott Hartles
44	Suicide prevention and awareness	Steve Croke
47	Promoting opportunities for young people with neurodiversity challenges	Adam Alarakhia
62	Training and skills	Kate Hudson
72	New deal next steps – sectorial collective bargaining	Dave Ward – Move
Composite 16	Artificial Intelligence: regulation, equality, skills, training, and the arts	Fiona Curtis
77	Palestine	Sajid Shaikh

6        ELECTIONS

• GS nominated for General Council

• Maria Exall nominated for General Council (LGBT Section I)

• Kate Hudson nominated for Section D (Women from Unions with fewer than 200,000 members

The recommended candidates were agreed.

7        FRINGE MEETINGS AND RECEPTIONS

The delegation was advised of a number of fringe meetings involving, or of special interest to the CWU.

8        DELEGATION SEATING ARRANGEMENTS

The Chair confirmed that the Congress seating plan in the Congress Guide. CWU would be situated in Block A, Rows A & B, seats 1 -12.

9        CWU COMMUNICATIONS

Media Contacts

The Chair asked delegates to consult Chris Webb, Head of Comms prior to interacting with the media.

10       ABSENCES DURING CONGRESS 

The Chair asked the delegation to confirm to Mick Kavanagh if they would be absent during Congress, or if they were required to leave Congress early.

11       ANY OTHER BUSINESS

There being no further business the meeting closed at 1 p.m.

LTB 316/24 – TRADES UNION CONGRESS 2024- CWU DELEGATION REPORT