General secretary of the General Federation of Trade Unions GAWAIN LITTLE calls for support and participation in the national partnership organised to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1926 general strike
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Tolpuddle’s enduring legacy
Unison South West regional secretary KERRY BAIGENT charts the recent successes for industrial action and organising in her area, and outlines the challenges ahead, urging Labour to deliver on workers’ rights and social care
Wiltshire Health and Care
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THE annual Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival, organised by the TUC, brings together thousands of trade unionists, socialists, and progressive campaigners in a collective celebration and commemoration of a 19th-century injustice against six agricultural workers, which became a fundamental cause for workers’ rights.
The legacy of these workers, known to history as the Tolpuddle Martyrs, acts as an important reminder to all trade unionists that the rights of workers to organise, take collective action, and form a union were not granted willingly and were only won following huge sacrifice, solidarity, and collective campaigning, even against forces that seemed overwhelmingly powerful.
The story of the Tolpuddle Martyrs is, therefore, one of inspiration. Every year we gather to meet, discuss, exchange ideas, and, most importantly of all, to organise.
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As trade unionists gather for their annual conference, battles against health service privatisation and exploitation of migrant workers highlight the urgent need to counter Reform’s divisive message, writes KERRY BAIGENT
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