Brendan Barber Address to Labour Party Conference
Address to Labour Party Conference, 22 September 2008
Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the TUC
Chair, Conference
It's great to be here in Manchester.
Genesis of the industrial revolution.
Birthplace of the TUC.
And I'm delighted to bring a message of solidarity from the TUC, returning the sororal greetings that Diane Hayter brought to our Congress in Brighton just two weeks ago.
Diane stressed the ties that have bound us together for a century and more - a message I want to repeat today.
Whilst the TUC has, of course, no political affiliation and not all of our member unions belong to the Labour Party, I am proud of our shared history, shared values and shared commitment to a more just world.
And I believe that alliance between the two wings of the labour movement is stronger than ever - and more important than ever.
It was good that Gordon and so many of his Government colleagues joined us in Brighton.
It's great too that a good trade union colleague, Ray Collins of UNITE, has recently taken up his new post as your General Secretary - you've poached one of our best - and we all wish him well.
And it's great to be with so many friends. I ran into my old mate Ian McCartney yesterday and his wife Ann. Ann told me that as well as being a longstanding member of UNITE she has now also joined USDAW. That's the real practical support for trade unionism it's great to see - and if only more of you could be persuaded to join two unions like Ann, the TUC membership figures would receive a tremendous boost.
Conference, I'm convinced the key challenges we face today - getting to grips with global economic turmoil, securing fairness for workers and their families and tackling inequality - are challenges we must face together.
Why? Because history has consistently shown that we achieve more together than we do alone.
This year, of course, marks a number of important anniversaries.
Not just 140 years since the TUC held its first Congress just down the road at the Mechanics' Institute here in Manchester.
But 100 years of the state pension; 60 years of the NHS and 10 years of the minimum wage.
All reasons for celebration; all great progressive causes that we advanced by working together.
And it hardly needs to be repeated, but the people who have benefited most have been ordinary working people - young and old, black and white, men and women.
But with the economy struggling, with living standards threatened as wages fail to keep pace with prices - especially in the public sector - and with jobs under threat as the disasters in the financial markets ripple across the rest of the economy - there can be no denying that these are tough times.
Tough times for the government; tough times for the economy; but most of all, tough times for workers and their families.
Frankly, you know global capitalism has gone crazy when George Bush nationalises the commanding heights of the US economy on Wall Street and the richest football club in the world is Manchester City.
Conference, Alistair was right to say that the challenges facing our economy now are as profound as any we have faced for decades.
The architecture of our financial systems has been built on foundations that are now crumbling before our eyes.
And those in the City who have preached the doctrine of deregulation have been found to be false prophets. They have enriched themselves on a vast scale for sure, but risk impoverishing the rest of us.
It is at times like these, where new ways forward have to be fashioned not just at home but on a global level, that our country most needs the wisdom and experience of this Labour Government - led by Gordon.
Gordon has - more than anyone - led the world in facing up to the injustice and oppression of global poverty. He has put the eradication of child poverty here at home at the heart of this government's mission.
And in these troubled times, those deeply rooted values of fairness will be most needed to chart our course forward.
The British people are crying out for a change of direction: one that curbs the excesses of the market; that prioritises fairness; and that demonstrates clearly and unambiguously that the government really is on their side.
This week is about developing that compelling narrative.
If there is one lesson that can be draw from our history, it's surely this: that the fortunes of the Labour Party and the trade union movement rise and fall on the same tide.
Of course we have our different roles.
Ours to speak up for 6.5 million members and their families.
And yours, in government, to advance the national interest.
We will inevitably have our disagreements.
But there will always be more that unites us than divides us.
And it's during the hard times, like now, that the enduring strength of our relationship matters most.
Together, I'm convinced we can deliver once again for the people who depend on us.
So let us speak up for the values we hold dear.
Let us keep fighting for equality, fairness and social justice.
And let us make Britain a better place for all.
Thanks for listening.
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