2025 has to be a year of delivery

That’s the difference unions make. That’s the difference Labour in power makes.

Repairing and rebuilding Britain after 14 years of Tory chaos and decline is a massive challenge for the government.  

But 2025 has to be a year of delivery - continuing with the same broken status quo is not an option.

As recent elections in the US and across the globe have shown, securing economic growth is not enough on its own. Families want to feel better off and to see material improvements in their day-to-day lives.  

That’s why Labour’s Make Work Pay Agenda is so important.

Improving job quality and putting more money into people’s pockets is an urgent national mission.

Working households up down this country are hurting and we cannot afford to ignore it.

The government has a historic opportunity – and an electoral mandate – to make work pay.  

Delivering the Employment Rights Bill in full will boost living standards for millions and create a happier, healthier and more productive workforce.

We must not get distracted or diverted from this task.

The naysayers opposing this legislation are invariably the same voices who opposed the introduction of the minimum wage, and every other piece of legislation aimed at improving working lives. They were wrong then and they are wrong now.

When working people thrive so too do businesses and the economy.

Unions want to work with ministers and employers to implement these much-needed reforms. The sooner they become law the better.

Creating better-quality jobs also requires an industrial strategy worthy of its name – something we never got under the Tories.

Labour can reset the dial with ambitious delivery of the National Wealth Fund and GB Energy– and a relentless focus on safeguarding, creating and sustaining good quality jobs.

And it should work in partnership with unions and employers to ensure that we fairly navigate our way through the big industrial transitions and challenges posed by net zero, AI and new technology.  

Leave those transitions to the market and we risk jobs and livelihoods. Actively shape and manage them in partnership and we can help secure good quality jobs for generations to come.

Finally – getting Britain working again will also require stronger public services.

The Chancellor was right to raise emergency funds in her Budget for schools and the NHS.

Bringing down hospital waiting lists and improving services is vital for tackling long-term sickness and economic inactivity. And it is vital for delivering stronger growth and productivity.

But we can’t fix our public services unless we deal with the recruitment and retention crisis that has pushed them to breaking point.

This means dealing with issues like pay – that was brutally squeezed by the Tories for over a decade.

And it means dealing with issues like workloads, working hours and flexible working too.

The government must engage with unions and the millions of public sector workers we represent in a serious conversation about public service reform and delivery.  

The three-year spending review in June is an opportunity to set out a long-term plan for the workforce.

Making work pay. Safeguarding and creating good jobs. Improving public services.

This is a roadmap for delivering national renewal and for giving people hope – at a time when the far-right are using the politics of grievance to divide our communities.

These are the priorities for the TUC in the year ahead. Alongside them our unions will be working hard to grow our own movement. And we will also continue to play an active role in the global trade union movement and its efforts to build a more peaceful and prosperous world for all.

I wish you, your families and workmates good health, happiness and security in 2025 and always.