TUC president and POA leader STEVE GILLAN speaks to Ben Chacko on the eve of Congress 2026
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Wilko: we once came close to preventing these crises
The 12,500 jobs lost at Wilko echo the industrial vandalism of Tories in the 1980s. New Labour had plans to put in place a safety net — but will Keir Starmer resurrect these, asks KEITH FLETT
General view inside Wilko in Brownhills near Walsall, one of the first Wilko stores to close down
DOUG NICHOLLS welcomes a turning point at this year’s Congress, where many motions call for a co-ordinated plan to revive British industry, a perspective outlined in his new book
HOPE VIRGO of campaign Dump the Scales warns MPs voting today they should be alert to the threat legalised assisted death poses to people with eating disorders
The Together Alliance is hosting two summits, North and South, to build power and plan action against the scourge of racism peddled by the right. DANIEL KEBEDE urges mass participation
The drift toward militarisation in Europe is not inevitable, left-wing and peace movements can preserve sovereignty and prevent war, says DÁIRE HUGHES MP
Whatever differences exist among international sympathisers of the Bolivarian revolution about its current trajectory, they should unite against the imperialist power that is the source of an enforced retreat, argues ROGER D HARRIS
Trade unions need to step up and force a turn in the policies of the labour movement to effectively confront the far-right threat, argues NICK WRIGHT
DESPITE the best efforts of the GMB union it seems like all Wilko stores will close in the next few weeks with the loss of 12,500 jobs.
The impact will be significant. People will lose jobs in a cost-of-living crisis and communities will lose another well-used high street shop. A powerful speech by a Wilko union rep at the TUC in Liverpool rightly received unanimous support.
Further, Labour leader Keir Starmer recognised the point on social media, arguing that a Labour government will give people like the Wilko workers, thrown on the scrap heap by owners who paid themselves millions when the company was in trouble, hope for the future.
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