TRADE union membership is more important than ever before to guarantee workers’ rights and support a future Labour government, the CWU conference heard today.

Opening the telecoms and financial services conference in Bournemouth, deputy general secretary Andy Kerr said that while there were “32.25 million people in work … so the economy looks as though it’s doing well,” 903,000 were employed on zero-hours contracts.

He said: “Yes, there is a lot of employment, but in-work poverty is on the rise.

“Collective action and membership of trade unions still represents the best way to guarantee a higher wage, whether it is in the public or the private sector.”

Mr Kerr said Labour’s electoral success last year showed that “more and more people are fed up with this odious anti-union Tory government,” adding: “We have not been this close to a socialist Labour government for decades. It is a massive opportunity for the labour movement.”