Trade Union

By Jason Wyatt, Unite rep, Tata Steel, Port Talbot The British steel industry is forever in crisis. Decades of deindustrialisation have hollowed out once proud steel towns, and every time the industry is hit by another blow, it’s workers, never shareholders, never governments, who are left to pay the price. The fire at Port Talbot on 5 June is just ...

By Dave Warren, Delegate from Swansea Trades Council The biennial congress of TUC Cymru (Wales Trades Union Congress) took place in Llandudno 19-21 May against the background of the political earthquake of Labour losing control of the Senedd (Welsh parliament) for the first time ever. The conference provided a timely opportunity to reassess the political orientation of the trade union ...

By Eira Ekenberg-Jones The Socialist Party, alongside Caerphilly Trades Union Council and Unite the Union, hosted a benefit gig in Pontypridd, south Wales, for the striking Birmingham bin workers. Countless people, mainly young, flooded in from the street, completely filling our venue. The atmosphere was electric, lively, and unforgettable. Multiple local musicians performed. For a month prior, our RCT Socialist ...

By Rob Williams, Socialist Party Executive Committee and Unite member As we go to press, it has been announced that the left ‘Workers Unite/Back to the Workplace’ slate of candidates has won an overwhelming victory in the election for the Unite Executive Council (EC), the leading lay member body of the union. They have defeated the candidates supported by the ...

Hospitality worker in Merthyr Tydfil On 16 April, Nigel Farage and his team, including the Welsh Reform leader and Senedd candidate Dan Thomas, came to Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales on the election campaign trail. Unfortunately my workplace was one of the hospitality venues they used to publicise their campaign of division and hate, and the senior management equally capitalised on ...

This year, Green Party leader Zack Polanski was invited to address the conference of the National Education Union. In the press conference, Rob Williams, covering the conference for the Socialist newspaper, had the opportunity to ask him a question: Rob: I think you’ve had a great response today Zack, because you have come to a conference of teachers who have ...

Editorial of the Socialist issue 1360 ‘An injury to one is an injury to all.’ That basic idea of trade unionism is bringing union members to the streets in big numbers on the ‘Together Against the Far Right’ demonstration on 28 March. Organising to change a situation where there is growing fear of racist attacks is part of what trade unions ...

By Ben Golightly (Swansea Socialist Party) In 2025, the TUC (Trades Union Congress) unanimously passed motions 38 and 39 opposing the UK government’s disability cuts and calling for coordinated and sustained trade union action. Since then, however, the TUC has taken the position that it does not need to implement these actions due to the concession that Personal Independence Payment ...

By Dave Reid Health visitors working for Cwm Taf Health Board have voted to extend their month-long strike for fair pay for a further two months, determined to win the banding which is theirs by right. In a process that began in 2021, Health Board (HB) bosses signed an internal job grading matching them as a band 7 acknowledging a masters qualification ...

By John Williams (LGBT candidate for the Unite Executive Council) Over 100 health visitors in Unite at Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board (HB) are taking strike action for four weeks at the refusal of the HB to pay them the correct salary based on their qualifications which is costing them between £8000 to £9000 per year. Health visitors do vital ...