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Two months ago, the British people cast their verdict.

On one of the most right-wing.

Incompetent.

Anti-union.

Morally bankrupt governments this country has ever seen.

And Congress – it feels good to be meeting.

Here in Brighton.

For the first time in 15 years.

Under a Labour government with a 174 seat majority!

Now some Tory MPs had the good sense.

Or the lack of backbone.

To do the chicken run before the votes were cast.

The likes of Kwasi Kwarteng and Michael Gove.

Scuttling away from the mess they left behind.

Others decided to face the voters.

And, while I am not one to revel… in other people’s misfortune.

I have to say, I enjoyed every single Portillo moment in the early hours of July 5th.

It was a roll call of political failure.

Gillian Keegan....gone

Grant Shapps....gone

Penny Mordaunt....gone

Jacob Rees-Mogg....gone

And of course, the former Prime Minister that couldn’t outlast a lettuce – Liz Truss...gone

All now political history.

Congress - goodbye and good riddance to every single one of them!

Now they may be gone, but their miserable legacy remains.

The legacy of public services ruined by negligence and austerity.

The legacy of an economy shattered by a shambolic Brexit and unfunded tax cuts for the rich

And the legacy of a Britain divided by nasty culture wars, dodgy PPE contracts, and Downing Street parties.

It’s been a tough 14 years for the people we represent.

A tough 14 years, but ones we can look back on with some pride.

Because despite the attacks,

despite the anti-union legislation,

despite the relentless squeeze on wages,

we stood firm.

Defending working people.

Fighting austerity.

Helping Labour to rebuild.

And we should be proud of our achievements.

In the last 12 months alone…

Our membership up by 90,000.

Unions winning for workers up and down the country.

And on top of all that – one stand out victory…

Cast your minds back 12 months.

Congress in Liverpool, and then at our special Congress in December

We pledged to fight the Tories’ spiteful attack on the right to strike.

And fight it we did.

A year on, and those appalling laws are about to be repealed.

Repealed before they have ever been used.

Congress, generations of working people fought for the right to strike.

And thanks to you,

Thanks to every union in this room, 

Thanks to the whole of the trade union movement,

We have protected the fundamental right to strike for future generations of working people.

That’s the difference unity makes.

That’s the difference solidarity makes.

And that’s the difference Labour in government makes.

Let me say upfront – we won't always agree with the new government on every issue.

But we know Keir Starmer and THIS government have the interests of working people at heart in a way that the Conservatives never did, and never will.

Congress, no government can put right 14 years of Tory chaos overnight.

And in fact no government can take on the job of rebuilding this country on its own.

So yes – it is vital that Labour delivers its mandate for change.

A new deal for working people delivered in full.

Stronger public services.

Clamping down on the tax cheats and the non-doms.

And bringing our railways back - where they belong - in public ownership.

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But Congress, politics isn’t a spectator sport, and neither is the long hard job of rebuilding our country.

We can’t just elect a government, sit back and ask them to right every wrong.

We need to roll up our sleeves and get involved.

So lets pledge today.

We’ll work with the new government to rebuild our public services

We’ll play our part in recasting Britain’s industrial future.

And above all we will work with the government to face down those on the right who wish to sow division and discord in our communities.

Our message to the tin pot politicians, the street thugs and any ragtag group that tries to promote their message of hate is clear  –

Not in our workplaces,

Not in our communities,

Not on our watch. 

Last year, I told you about my family and their story, a story common to so many of us.

Working class people.

Hard working people.

Some born and bred here in the UK.

Some, migrants from Ireland, from Poland, from Hong Kong.

People who came to Britain and built their lives and raised their families here.

They - and generations of other migrants – from the West Indies, from across Europe, and from so many other places, are now part of us.

Enriching our communities.

Working alongside us.

Our neighbours and our friends.

And they represent this country far better than the far-right ever will.

I don’t believe for one minute that most of those who voted Reform at the last election are racist, but let me say this clearly, and unequivocally. 

Nigel Farage isn’t a friend of the working class. 

He’s a fraud.

A public school educated,

Private equity loving,

NHS privatising,

Putin - apologist fraud.

My grandad Joe came to Britain with the Polish RAF and played his part in the fight against fascism eight decades ago.

In May, I found myself in southern Poland, boarding an overnight train to Kyiv to meet our sister unions.

I visited a power station – razed to the ground by Russian rockets.

I saw city apartment blocks destroyed by missile strikes.

And I visited the children’s hospital in Kyiv, and met some of those at the sharp and very human end of war.

People like Katia – 14 years old, who was wounded by Russian shelling that killed her mother.

Six weeks after my visit, Putin bombed that children’s hospital.

Operating theatres wrecked.

Kids with cancer traumatised.

Doctors and nurses hunting through the rubble for their colleagues.

So when I see Farage, making excuses for Russia’s illegal and indefensible invasion of Ukraine, it turns my stomach.

Congress – I’ll say it again – the far-right, hate mongers are no friends of the working class. They’re not patriots.  They are frauds.

And we saw the proof of that just a few weeks ago.

In Southport, we saw a deep and unimaginable horror, three children who lost their lives in the most terrible of circumstances.

One of our own – David Stancombe, a CWU member – lost his daughter Elsie aged 7.

Some decided to use that tragedy as an excuse to attack places of worship, to loot shops, to attack the same emergency service workers who rushed to save lives.

Some used it to promote conspiracy theories and fake news.

And some used it to drive clicks to their social media platforms.

But that wasn’t most of us, and it wasn’t the best of us.

And we should never forget, that the overwhelming majority of people in this country are decent, are kind, and are generous.

They’re the ones who rebuilt a wall outside a mosque.

Who swept up the debris after the riots.

Who gathered not to hate, but to show their love and their grief for the victims.

And so I want this movement to be clear:

We will always stand with the decent majority and we will always work to bring communities together.

That is our ambition and it is our responsibility.

Our movement: rooted in communities across the country.

On the shopfloor, in the office, the work canteen, the community centre, the high rises and the high streets.

Demonstrating – by actions as well as words - that solidarity is the living, breathing spirit of this movement.

Solidarity here at home.

Solidarity in every community.

And solidarity across the globe as well.

That includes our calls for peace, the return of hostages, an immediate ceasefire and respect for international law in Gaza.

An end to the carnage that has seen innocent people targeted, trade union buildings bombed and children starving.

And a future built on a two state solution, a safe and secure Israel, and a safe, secure and free Palestine as well.

Solidarity also means standing up against injustice, something this movement has always done.

For the 97 victims of Hillsborough.

For the Lawrence family.

The Shrewsbury 24.

The sacked union members at GCHQ.

The victims of the Horizon Scandal.

The miners brutalised at Orgreave.

And of course, those who died tragically, and avoidably at Grenfell.

As a son of Merseyside, I am proud that the Labour government has reiterated its commitment to bring forward the Hillsborough law.

Never again should the state hide behind lawyers and legal argument.

Never again should working-class families be denied justice for decades.

So - a new government and a new opportunity.

Our movement playing its part to rebuild the country, and to bring our communities together.

Something we have done throughout history

In helping to rebuild the country after the Second World War

Helping to create the NHS

Helping workers win maternity pay and protections against discrimination

And in recent years...

Protecting workers during the pandemic

Designing the furlough scheme

Leading the fight for the minimum wage

All down to this movement.

But all those achievements, and everything we aspire to do, needs a growing,  vibrant, inclusive trade union movement.

Congress, employment rights count for nothing if you don’t have strong unions to enforce them.

Cabinet ministers can’t get you a pay rise or stop you being bullied at work.

And MPs can’t hold every bad boss to account.

That’s the job of the trade union movement.

So our challenge now: more reps, more unionised workplaces, more wins for workers.

Last year I told Congress we would train at least 500 new Black activists.

Today I can announce that we have in fact trained 534 new Black activists,

And those new activists are just the start.

Each and every year, we will train hundreds of new Black activists.

Recruit and train more women reps.

And we will take the trade union message into more workplaces.

Working with good employers to secure the decent jobs our members deserve.

And using those new rights to hold bad bosses to account.

-----------------------------------------

Days after the election, GMB members at Amazon in Coventry staged their historic vote for union recognition.

Amazon – one of the biggest union-busters on the planet - threw millions at stopping workers from getting a collective voice.

Deployed every cynical trick in the book.

And after all of that money, all that bullying, and all that scaremongering won by just 29 votes. 

So let’s pay tribute to the 1,400 Amazon workers who stood up to be counted. 

Who took 38 days of strike action.

And who very nearly beat one of the most powerful corporations in the world.

--

And let’s pledge to them, and every other worker facing an anti-union boss.

This is not the end.

This is just the beginning.

Today, I want to put Amazon, and every other anti-union, anti-worker boss on notice.

If you think you can get away with paying poverty wages. 

If you think its acceptable to force people into work when they're sick. 

If you want to fire and rehire your staff so you can put a few bob on the share price 

Think again.

Our movement is coming for you.

Our movement is going to take on the bad bosses. 

And we are going to win!

MSL’s gone

The new deal delivered in full

Rebuilding our public services

Wages growing.

Hope back in our politics.

Congress. I can’t imagine a privilege bigger than being your general secretary.

Every day I meet inspiring people.

Union activists, reps, members.

People doing some of the hardest and most important jobs you could think of.

Cleaning hospitals.

Building new power stations and railways.

Inspiring our young people.

Keeping the public safe.

All united by one belief.

Together we are stronger.

Together we can rebuild our communities.

Together we can win for working people.

Congress, together – we are unstoppable.

Solidarity Congress, thank you.

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