A YEAR ago, trade unionists across the region and country worked tirelessly to bring an end to 14 years of Tory rule. As trade unionists from across the North East, Yorkshire and Humber meet this weekend in York, we will be reflecting on that change and what is to come. 

The early impact of our efforts is clear. The election of a Labour government has delivered long-overdue victories for working people — the repeal of anti-strike “minimum service levels” laws and the introduction of the New Deal for Working People, the most significant expansion of employment rights in generations.

This progress didn’t come from goodwill. It has come from the determination and struggle of workers and their unions. Change has been won in workplaces and in proposed legislation from our strikes, our protests, our relentless campaigning that forced change onto the agenda. And we should be proud of what we have achieved.