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date: 26 March 2009

embargo: For Immediate Release

TRADE UNION DELEGATES TO 'TWEET' BARACK AND BROWN ON EVE OF G20 SUMMIT

Trade union delegates are to 'tweet' their recession-busting message to US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Gordon Brown - from Manchester Town Hall.

They will be using Twitter, the trendy micro-blogging site, to send regular 'Put People First' messages to the two politicians on the eve of the summit of world leaders to discuss the global financial crisis.

More than 120 delegates, representing a million members of two dozen unions will be in Manchester Town Hall on Saturday for the Annual Conference of the North West Trades Union Congress.

At the same time, a major march and demonstration, backed by the TUC, is planned for London to tell G20 leaders: 'there can be no return to business as usual.'

It is calling for an economy based on fair distribution of wealth, decent jobs for all and a low carbon future - demands backed by trade unionists in the North West.

Instead of scrapping their Annual Conference in Manchester and adding to greenhouse gases by travelling to London, the union reps will be tweeting their message to the G20 via mobile phone and the internet.

Both Gordon Brown and Barack Obama have accounts on Twitter, a free social network site, which allows people to send each other short messages, up to 140 characters long.

The union reps plan to keep up a steady stream of messages to Brown and Barack throughout the day - as the TUC conference discusses the impact of the recession in the North West.

NW TUC Policy Officer, Tim Moore, who has organised what is believed to be the world's first twitter 'demo', said: 'We have started to use our existing Twitter account to get quick messages to people and to stay connected on line.

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'Tweeting Barack and Brown about the G20 was too good an opportunity for us to miss.

'It's an instant and easy way to make sure the voice of working people in the North West is being heard by world leaders.

'It's early days yet for Twitter, but it could be just as effective in getting our message across to the rich and powerful, as the more traditional forms of protest, such as a march and demonstration.

'Of course, it doesn't mean the days of trade union marches and rallies are over.

'We will never give up those traditional forms of protest and solidarity on behalf of working people.

'But we will be increasingly using modern, web-enabled means of communication, such as Twitter, blogs and Facebook, where they are appropriate and effective.

'The most important thing is not the medium, but our message - the G20 must put people first and never return to the bad old days of corporate greed and corruption which have caused this economic crisis.

'We hope that message will be well received by Barack and Brown.'

ENDS

Contacts:

Media enquiries: Matt Finnegan (Sound Communication) 07807 033438

Further enquiries: Tim Moore T: 0151 236 5432

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

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Press release (600 words) issued 26 Mar 2009