THIS time last year, many thousands converged for the annual pilgrimage to Tolpuddle.  

Against the beautiful backdrop of deepest Tory Dorset, this historic rural agricultural event brings together comradely acquaintances from across the country and further afield in celebration of our proud labour movement history and the lives, struggles and victories of rural workers and communities. 

We fill the lanes, fields and tents with our banners, bands and voices over a weekend of discussion, music, arts and learning, not to mention the indulgence of al fresco dining, whatever the weather. 

Of course, the solidarity and confidence we shared then could never have predicted the dramatic impact of a forthcoming pandemic that has done so much more than force Tolpuddle ’20 online.

The Tories have failed the nation and its workers at every stage of this Covid-19 challenge. 

The Foreign Office first advised against travel to Hubei province in China on January 25, just days before Britain’s first two cases were recorded. 

It was a further month before the Johnson government said returning travellers from certain parts of China, Iran and South Korea should self-isolate.

Then Flybe collapsed into administration, a massive blow to regional airports in south-west England, massively jeopardising the future of investment projects in our region and demonstrating the extent to which the government was failing the aviation industry, even then.  

Four months on and the impact of the pandemic on airlines, regional airports and the industries and jobs that rely on has been swift and brutal. 

Hundreds of thousands of jobs in the sector are at risk, yet still the government refuses to intervene with loans and loan guarantees in the way that France, Germany and others have. 

And meanwhile, the toll on south-west industries and our economy continues to mount as ministers negligently fiddle with short-term measures that simply won’t stop the summer tsunami of job losses Unite has warned them of.

To be clear, Unite won’t abandon the fight to get the Chancellor to think again and intervene with sector-specific deals to support manufacturing, aviation, aerospace, the auto industry and hospitality. 

Coronavirus has of course had a very personal and tragic impact on our key worker members in the south-west and across the country. 

As regional secretary, I had the deeply sad duty to contact the families of Martin Egan and Hussen Mudei, both Unite members and Bristol bus drivers who fell victim to the virus. 

We honour them and continue to support their loved ones.  

Through continued incompetence by ministers, it appears clear that many working people who stayed on the front line, keeping us safe and cared for and our communities moving, have tragically lost their lives in circumstances that could have been avoided. 

No doubt Unite will play its role in ensuring, at the appropriate time, that government is held to account over its awful record and for failing in its primary duty to protect the nation’s people. 

We now know that this crisis has impacted disproportionately those from BAEM groups who are over-represented in the low-paid and undervalued occupations that our society is not recognising as essential. 

Unite stands proudly in support of the global Black Lives Matter movement and will continue to oppose all forms of racism. 

Trade unions must be at the forefront of the fight to tackle the roots of inequality.

Our nation owes every single key worker an eternal debt of gratitude. 

As trade unionists we’ve always considered that health workers, cleaners, care workers, refuse workers, transport workers and food and logistics workers are the high-value workers in our society. 

It’s time their pay reflects that, and Unite continues its fight to have the employers recognise these workers are worth more. 

In May I completed 40 years as a shop steward, convener and regional official — every one of those posts an honour. 

Yet nothing in that time has exposed the hypocrisy and inadequacies of the political and financial structures of our society more than this pandemic. 

It is why I am proud to define myself as a socialist, why I know our movement’s struggles are based on the inherently sound principles of fairness equity and democratic electoral accountability and why Unite will always fight for the progressive, fair and green principles contained in Labour’s policies going forward — the foundations on which the movement can build towards a Labour victory for a fairer nation.

So, this weekend, join and enjoy all that Tolpuddle online has to offer. Link arms with family, friends, working people and communities however you can. 

Stay safe and let us commit to remaining true to our core principles. And when this crisis is over, we’ll join together again at a bigger and better Tolpuddle 2021. 

Steve Preddy is Unite South West regional secretary.