Deputy Labour leader, Angela Rayner’s speech to TUC Congress 2023
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Hello Congress,
Thank you for inviting me to speak today
It’s always a pleasure to address the TUC
And it’s fantastic to be in Liverpool
The hometown of so many legends
the Beatles
the Albert Docks
and of course,
Paul Nowak
I remember when I first met Paul as a young
trade unionist
Well, I was!
I want to pay tribute to Paul
In his first year as General Secretary
It’s been uneventful ... right?
From facing down the Tories’ vicious Minimum Service Levels Bill
To their insulting refusal to get around the table with public sector workers
To the economic crisis caused in Downing Street but paid for out of your pockets
Throughout you’ve been a powerful advocate for workers’ rights
Thank you.
I come here with one message today
That the next Labour Government will build an economy that works for working people
With a New Deal for Working People.
And Labour will start by bringing forward an Employment Rights Bill to legislate for this
Within the first 100 days of entering office
That's a cast-iron commitment
Not only because this will be good for working people, and good for our wider economy
But because our fair work agenda will be key to how we bring opportunity to every corner of this country
Last week, Keir appointed me
Shadow Deputy
Prime Minister
Strategic Lead for Labour’s New Deal for Working People
And Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Almost as many jobs
as I had before
I’m delighted to be in this new post
As a young, single mum,
it was a Labour Government that levelled the playing field for me
When I most needed it,
a council house gave me and my son a secure home instead of sofa surfing
That in turn meant I could go out and find the job that
I built a life upon
The minimum wage meant
that I earned more
A local authority job gave me better skills at work,
and a Sure Start centre, gave me better skills as a parent
And joining a union changed my whole life
It was thanks to my union, UNISON, that I was able to improve my life - and life for my fellow workers who I represented
I may have been born in Stockport, but I was raised in the trade union movement
That kind of Levelling Up transformed my life and my prospects - because it was done right
A house and a job
a good unionised job - with decent conditions
a thriving community, empowered to create good local services and educational opportunities
These things were my lifeline and they're what REAL Levelling Up means to me
What Levelling Up could have been, and could still be
Good jobs and secure homes are the foundations of thriving lives and of a strong economy
True growth, which benefits all people in all places of Britain is built on the pillars of decent jobs and secure housing
They were the pillars I relied upon to get to where I am today
But the foundations
I needed to improve my life and my community has instead been levelled down by the Tories
With house building and wages plummeting across the whole country, the government’s agenda is a sham - and a scam
The mask has slipped, and the public have seen the truth - warm words and politically driven hand-outs won't touch the sides
An empty slogan won’t pay decent wages
False promises won’t build secure homes
And a sound bite won’t empower local people and local communities to take control of their futures
Congress
Never has this been so important
Thirteen years of Tory failure has left our economy shattered
People are on the brink
With a cycle of insecure work, poor pay and grave conditions
Recent scandals like
P&O ferries show how
Bad Bosses can undercut the market
This Government hasn’t just turned their backs on vulnerable workers but our entire economy!
Be in no doubt
Tory Ministers are the only workers that can get fired and rehired on better terms and conditions!
Failing upwards
Whilst everyone else is pushed down - including you
For far too long, unions have had barriers put in the way of your work
Damaging industrial relations and worsening disputes
The Tories pushed through the 2016 Trade Union Act, preventing fair bargaining and holding back living standards
And this year they gave us… The Minimum Service Levels Bill
A spiteful and bitter attack that threatens nurses with the sack
We know going on strike is always a last resort
But it’s a fundamental freedom that must be respected
So let me tell you loud and clear
The next Labour Government will ask Parliament to repeal these anti-trade union laws within our first 100 days
So that you can get on with your jobs of negotiating better for your members
I make no apologies that we will work hand-in-hand with trade unions
As we will work with business
To deliver a real partnership based on mutual respect
Cooperation
And negotiation
Labour’s New Deal for Working People will transform ordinary working people’s lives
Work will finally pay
Rights will be properly enforced
And crucially it will strengthen the role of trade unions in our society
This is vital
Because the New Deal wasn’t created in an ivory tower by politicians
It was developed in collaboration with you
The trade union movement
And it will be delivered with you
Key to this, we will update trade union laws to make them fit for the twenty-first century
Because for too long these have failed to keep pace with the hard reality on the ground
Take the laws protecting reps and officials
Which don’t account for
the technological advancements of the past 10 years
Or how fragmented workplaces actually operate today
Leaving you unprotected and exposed to harassment or the sack
Not just hampering your ability to properly represent, and negotiate for your members
But ruining lives and livelihoods
I started on the shop floor and I know how hard it is out there
The Consulting Association Scandal that blacklisted thousands of union workers
Must never be allowed to happen again
Which is why I’m pleased to announce today
That the next Labour Government will act decisively and conclusively to stamp out blacklisting once and for all
First, we will update regulations to outlaw the use of predictive technologies for blacklisting
And safeguard against singling out workers for mistreatment or the sack without any evidence of human interaction
Second, we will act to end the loophole that allows employers to pass the dirty work down to third party contractors
So that any third party found to be carrying out blacklisting can legally be held to account
Third, we will give Employment Tribunals the power to order the destruction of any list
- digital or not -
to stop them from being hidden or used again
Finally, we will ensure lessons are learnt from past historic injustices,
so that these scandals can never happen again
We support a full investigation into the violent events at Orgreave
And in Government we would launch a review into and release the official documents relating to the Cammell Laird prosecutions
And that’s not all
We will give trade unions a new legal, reasonable right to access workplaces
Like your sister unions have in Australia,
New Zealand,
the Nordic states,
and more
This will be underpinned by a regulated legal framework
There will be clear responsibilities and rules for all sides to follow
Allowing you to meet, represent, recruit and organise members
So that you can get on with your jobs to build stronger, happier and more productive workplaces
Without threat or menace from rogue employers.
As we’ve seen with Amazon, a small minority of employers are taking advantage of the lack of regulations
To frustrate the process
This is neither fair to workers nor productive to our wider economy
And it only frustrates disputes, making it harder to come to a resolution
Good employers know the value of a trade union
We will also simplify the statutory recognition process
To ensure that gig economy and remote workers can meaningfully organise through trade unions
And we’ll level up the rules to allow trade unions to use secure and private electronic balloting when engaging, communicating with and polling their members
Including for workplace ballots.
And that’s still not all
We’ll boost collective bargaining, both at a firm level and sectorally
Starting with a Fair Pay Agreement in adult social care
We will empower workers, the trade unions that represent them and employers in this sector to negotiate fair pay, terms and conditions - like training
in-staff benefits and more
As a former social care worker, I cannot overstate the difference this will make
Not only to these
low-paid and far too often overlooked workers
But also to our entire health care system, weighed down by years of Tory neglect
We'll also protect existing sector-wide deals like the fire and rescue services’ National Joint Council
And support workers to meaningfully organise together to improve their terms and conditions
This is because we agree with the O.E.C.D. that collective bargaining isn’t just good for workers
But it can also be key to helping companies and their staff adapt to technological and societal change
Congress
There’s even more
Day one basic rights
A ban on zero hour contracts
An end to fire and rehire
Family friendly working
Strengthened sick pay, making it available to all workers
Including the lowest earners
And from day one
We’ll go faster and quicker to end the gender pay gap
Address unequal pay
Tackle sexual harassment at work
Put mental health on a par with physical health
And we’ll bring in a proper living wage that people can actually live on
This isn’t only good for workers
It’s essential to growing the economy and raising living standards once more
The State will take a more active and strategic role in our economy by fixing the UK’s broken labour market
Giving businesses the confidence they need to invest in our infrastructure and people once more
It’s how we will boost people’s pay
So that they have more money in their pockets to spend down their local high street
And how we will turn the Tories’ failure on productivity on its head
Because a healthier, happier and motivated workforce is good for the bottom line
Make no mistake, this agenda is good for workers, our economy and for business
Labour has a comprehensive plan to create good jobs across the entire country and raise living standards
- all through our new deal for working people
Alongside decent work, Labour has a plan to fix the housing crisis by building more homes
Homes people can afford to live in, with priority given to local people - and yes, that means more council houses
The Tories are no longer the party of home ownership
- that's Labour.
A party that will be on your side - and that will govern in the interests of the whole country
Good jobs and secure homes are the foundations of thriving lives - and the foundation of a strong economy
True growth, that benefits
all people
And so now the battle for the General Election is just getting started
And it’s not going to be easy
But this country cannot survive another five years of Tory rule
Ask yourself
What will we be left with?
There’s no doubt, Labour has to win
But to get this victory, we have to come together
Stand together
And campaign side-by-side
And we need your help and backing to get the word out about the New Deal for Working People
This is our platform to make Britain work for working people once again
- That’s what is at stake.
- That’s what our shared future can be
And so join me, to fight for it together!
Thank you