ON BEHALF of the Unite South West and our Food Drink & Agricultural Section, we welcome everyone to the 2024 Tolpuddle Festival. 

On February 24 1834, farmworker George Loveless left for work — it would be three years before he would be back with his wife and children again.

George, and five fellow workers — James Brine, James Hammett, James Loveless, John Standfield and Thomas Standfield — were arrested, charged with making an illegal oath and transported to Australia.

They only returned following a public outcry over their treatment. And the real reason for their treatment was that they had made a stand against poor pay and wage cuts by forming a trade union.

Unite the Union has supported members in disputes, delivering £430 million back into workers’ pockets. Unite has 1.2 million members across every sector of the economy, public and private. 

Here is south-west England Unite is fighting for members’ jobs at Beko In Yate and shipyard jobs at Harland and Wolf Appledore. More widely the future of British Steel and offshore jobs in gas and oil will receive our every focus and energy. Trade unions are again delivering for workers.   

The Tolpuddle branch of Unite South West recently marked the 190-year anniversary of the arrest of the six martyrs. Their story is the reason we gather here each year. 

I will take this opportunity in highlighting the 10th anniversary of the formation of Jersey Reform — a left-of-centre party that challenges historic conservatism in the States of Jersey.

In 10 short years it has become the largest party in the states assembly, with a gender balance of 10 elected deputies.

Congratulations to all involved. Jersey Reform is an example how our movement and communities can join, organise and build into an effective political force to challenge political orthodoxy.

Unite South West is committed to working with Jersey Reform on measures set to improve the lives and conditions of Jersey workers.

This year’s festival comes at a very important time for British workers. On Thursday July 4 the nation elected a Labour government. This followed 14 years of wretched Tory rule. The spivs, conmen and clowns have now left the stage. 

First past the post is the electoral game we run in Britain. Although it won only a 36 per cent share of the vote and over 600,000 fewer votes than secured under Jeremy Corbyn in 2019 — described as the worst ever result for Labour — the party has a strong working majority in Parliament. We will demand Labour make it count.

In this week’s King’s speech, there are included many noteworthy indices we can welcome: 

• Making parental leave, sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal available from day one (subject to special rules for probationary periods)
• Banning zero-hours contracts, making sure that workers have a right to a contract that reflects the hours they regularly work
• Ending “fire and rehire” and “fire and replace” by reforming the law and replacing the statutory code
• Removing the lower earnings limit and waiting period for statutory sick pay
• Making flexible working the default for all workers from day one and requiring employers to accommodate this as far as is reasonable
• Making it unlawful to dismiss a woman who has had a baby for six months after she comes back to work (with certain exceptions)
• Creating the Fair Work Agency to enforce workplace rights
• Introducing a Fair Pay Agreement in the adult social care sector
• Repealing the law on minimum service levels in relation to industrial action
• Simplifying the process of statutory recognition for trade unions
• Introducing a right for workers and union members to access a union within workplaces.
• A draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill proposes to “enshrine the full right to equal pay law” for disabled people and ethnic minorities. The same Bill also proposes mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting.

The devil, as ever, will be revealed in the detail. We await the draft legislation. 

Unite the Union general secretary Sharon Graham has rightly made clear she will hold Labour’s feet to the fire, to rebalance fairness on pay and conditions and the rights of workers. 

The record low turnout reflects that people have lost faith in British politics. Keir Starmer and this Labour government should be under no illusion — as dramatically as they have been swept to power — Labour is on a wafer-thin layer of trust, within the movement and across the wider population.  

Labour must ensure it governs and delivers for the majority.

Steve Preddy is regional secretary of Unite South West.