TUC congress 2010 Articles

Getting it right on banking must be part of Labour’s new economic plans. Its actions of 2008 halted catastrophe, but the party must be more vigorous in securing real reform in the City while promoting the prosperity it can bring.

The past few days have seen an onslaught from the Tories and the rightwing press, seeking to portray Labour’s new leader, Ed Miliband as in the pocket of the trade unions, presumably calculating that a close association with the union movement is an electoral liability.

International trade union solidarity has long been about campaigning for peace, cooperation, economic development and education. This is most acute in the Middle East, which is why the international trade union movement has been closely following discussion of a TUC motion calling for a boycott of Israel.

The fourth and final day in Manchester and much of the debate centred on reforms to the TUC. It can be all too easy to dismiss such discussions as navel-gazing but the reality it that to remain relevant and effective the trade union movement must constantly review and renew what it does and how it does it.