President's address to TUC Congress 2020
An introduction video from this year's TUC president, Ged Nichols, general secretary of the specialist finance union Accord.
Speech by TUC President, Ged Nichols, Monday 14 September 2020
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Hello, my name is Ged Nichols, and I am the general secretary of the finance union Accord, and this year’s TUC president.
I have great pleasure in opening this - the TUC’s 152nd Congress.
To keep us all safe, this year’s Congress is a little bit different.
Usually we would have hundreds of delegates at our Congress, representing working people in every conceivable industry and profession, from every part of the UK.
Instead today we are joined online by thousands of people watching us at home, or in their offices or workplaces. Welcome to each and every one of you.
This is the first time in our 152 year history that we are holding Congress online. What could possibly go wrong?
Over the next two days we will talk about the big issues that matter to working people, their families and communities.
We’ll talk about the huge impact of coronavirus on working lives, how we stop mass unemployment and express our thanks to our key workers for their hard work and dedication.
We’ll hear from union leaders, as well as front-line workers - people working in supermarkets, care homes, theatres, our NHS, factories – or like the people I represent in my day job, bank branches and contact centres.
Today we will also hear from the TUC’s general secretary Frances O’Grady, and tomorrow we will welcome Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition.
Before I open up our first debate on how we put safety first, I’d like to say a few words.
It’s a huge pleasure to be your President this year.
And to bring solidarity from my own union Accord.
Friends, this Congress is unlike any other.
We meet amidst an economic slump and a public health emergency.
But trades unionism has never been more important than now.
And this is our opportunity to make our collective voice heard.
That’s why, over the next two days, we’ll be demanding jobs, security and dignity for working people.
For real change to come out of this crisis.
When I took over as TUC President last September, I couldn’t have imagined a year like this.
Within months, we had the general election.
Labour’s worst defeat since 1935.
And a body blow to our movement.
Tomorrow we’ll be hearing from Keir Starmer about the road to recovery.
About how we can work together to build an alternative future for our country.
And that’s doubly important.
Because hot on the heels of the election, of course, we had Brexit.
And while the UK has now left the EU, we are still in the transition period.
And what happens in the next few weeks will be absolutely critical.
The risk of a catastrophic no-deal departure is alarmingly real.
And our movement must fight that tooth and nail.
Because no deal would be a disaster for our jobs, our rights and our services.
Friends, we may have left the EU on 31st January.
But the world as we know it changed just weeks later.
Covid-19 has been the biggest challenge we’ve faced in generations.
The UK has suffered terribly from the global pandemic.
More people have died here than anywhere else in Europe, among them workers doing their jobs.
Our economy has been the hardest hit in the OECD.
And the most disadvantaged people – notably our BME communities - have borne the brunt.
Because the pandemic has exposed the depth of inequalities in modern Britain.
Inequalities of race, class, gender, disability and sexuality.
And the urgent need to address them.
But amidst the despair of Covid, there is hope too.
Because it’s not the great and the good that have kept the country going.
Not the hedge fund bosses and the captains of industry.
But the labour of working people.
People we are incredibly proud to represent.
In our NHS and public services.
In transport, distribution and energy.
And on our high streets.
Workers in supermarkets and shops keeping people fed.
And my own members in banks and call centres, helping workers manage their finances.
The crisis has shown that those doing the most important work are often those paid the least.
And later this morning, we’ll be calling for key workers to get the pay rise they deserve.
And Congress, that should just be the start.
Because when this is over, there can be no going back to business as usual.
Low pay, stagnant living standards, austerity – these must be consigned to the economic history books.
Brexit, automation and climate change demand that we get our act together.
Invest for the future.
And build a new economy that meets the needs of working people.
Providing good jobs and wages.
Great public services for all.
And world-class infrastructure.
An economy with strong trade unions winning for workers.
Spreading prosperity to all classes, communities and regions.
Friends, this is our 2020 vision.
And this is the moment to demand the change workers need.
To build on recent successes and really grow our movement.
And to win a fairer, greener, more prosperous future.
Not just for the few, not just for the many – but for all.
Have a great Congress – and solidarity to all.
- Ged Nichols, general secretary of the specialist finance union Accord.