Spirit of 1868, performed by Banner Theatre

"Why not have a Congress of our own?" said Samuel Nicholson, President of the Manchester and Salford Trades Council, who sent out the call to the first ever Trades Union Congress in 1868.

A stirring dramatisation of some of the struggles, protests and moments of resistance that shaped our past and our present! This play has been commissioned by the Mechanics Centre Trust to celebrate the founding of the TUC and 150 years of union struggle.

Book your tickets for the June 2nd 7.30pm show today! Ticket website here.

TUC Manchester - volunteers for stewards requested

With Congress taking place in Manchester this year, the TUC is looking for North West trade unionists, or friends and family, to help steward during the four days.

Congress will run from Sunday 9 September 2018 until Wednesday 12 September 2018. They are looking for people with some experience of event stewarding, and also welcome others with less experience who will be given roles which reflect this. There will be briefings beforehand and they will also provide online training for stewards.

They need approximately 25 stewards, who will work on a rota during the following hours:

• 10.00am until 7.00 pm on Sunday
• 8.15 am until 6.00 pm on Monday and Tuesday
• 8.15 am until 4.00 pm on Wednesday. 

Stewards are paid a disbursement equivalent to the Living Wage, which is subject to income tax and national insurance deductions. In addition lunch will be provided for those working. The TUC will also cover a small amount of expenses relating to travel to and from the venue each day.

If you know of people who would be interested in doing this, could you please ask them to contact Jay in the first instance on 0151 482 2710 or jmckenna@tuc.org.uk

March For A New Deal For Working People

Demo Wirral TUC demo 18 December

Wirral Trades Union Council demands a Labour council that will:

• Stop secret plotting.
• Reverse NHS cuts and privatisation.
• Prevent austerity killing vulnerable people.
• Halt the devastation of fire and emergency services.

PROTEST at the Wirral Cabinet Meeting:
Date: Monday 18th December.
Time: 9.00am.
Place: Wallasey Town Hall, Brighton Street, Wallasey, CH44 8ED.

• Stem the decline in support for our children now.
• Provide fully funded children's and women's aid services.
• Include effective prevention and early intervention.
• Guarantee no detriment to any to any other services.
• Merseyside has lost 1000 police officers since 2010.

Fight the Tories - campaign publicly with other Labour authorities.

Nearly half of new jobs created in the NW since 2011 insecure, finds TUC

Nearly half of (47%) jobs created in the North West since 2011 have been in insecure work, according to new analysis recently published by the TUC. The analysis shows that between 2011 and 2016 employment in the region grew by 197,503. And that 93,517 of these were in insecure jobs - work without guaranteed hours or baseline employment rights.

The TUC estimates that there are now 339,608 people now work in insecure jobs in the region - up from 246,091 in 2011. That represents 1 in 10 workers in the North West. The TUC says this is being driven mainly by traditional industries - such as education, restaurant work and residential social care - rather than newer sectors.

The study, commissioned by the TUC from the Learning and Work Institute, defines insecure work as seasonal, casual, temporary or agency work, those on zero-hours contracts and low-paid self-employed workers.

The TUC says these contract types leave working people in the position where:

• Their wages can fluctuate without warning
• They find it hard to get their basic employment rights respected
• They miss out on key protections like sick pay; and
• They are at the mercy of bosses who can withdraw their hours or even take them off the job with no notice.

The TUC is today launching a new initiative for workers in the North West to share their experiences of insecure work anonymously. The findings of the survey will be presented in May. The TUC estimates that the rise in insecure work since 2006 is costing the UK exchequer £4bn year, with the government collecting billions less in tax revenues.

TUC Regional Secretary for the North West Lynn Collins said: "Insecure working in the North West has shot up in recent years. People need jobs they can live on. But if you don't know how much work you will have from one day to the next, making ends meet can be nightmare.

"Too many bosses in our region are getting away with shady employment practices. That's why we are asking people who feel vulnerable at work to share their stories confidentially with us. We need to keep the pressure up on government to improve protections for working people. Every day unions expose bad working conditions and win important victories for workers across the country."