Charlie Alford

Unions boycott Labour Women’s Conference over blanket trans ban policy

Post author:Grace
Post published:30 July 2026
Post last modified:31 July 2026

Four of the eleven unions officially affiliated with the Labour Party have announced that they will boycott the Labour Women’s Conference this year. Unison, Aslef, Usdaw, and the Musicians’ Union cited the party’s decision to ban trans women from attending the event. The news follows Labour’s cancellation of the 2025 women’s conference after the Supreme Court’s ruling that ‘woman’ refers to sex-assigned-at-birth under the Equality Act 2010. ‘Compliance with the law’ In December, the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) then took a vote to formally exclude trans women from proceedings at the women’s conference. Note, particularly, that the trans ban at…

Unions and anti-corruption campaigners react to damning Covid Inquiry report

Post author:Grace
Post published:15 July 2026
Post last modified:16 July 2026

Yesterday, 15 July, the Covid Inquiry published its latest update — this time focusing on the Johnson government’s failure to secure adequate personal protective equipment (PPE). In response, both anti-corruption campaigning organisations and the unions representing affected hospital workers have been swift to issue their condemnation. As the Canary’s Joe Glenton previously reported: Boris Johnson’s government wasted £10bn on unusable personal protective equipment (PPE), the Covid inquiry report has found. Inquiry chair Heather Hallett also slammed the then-Conservative government’s use of firms with Tory ‘VIP’ connections to fulfil major PPE contracts. BMA: Government performance ‘an omnishambles’ Reacting to the Module 5 report,…

Trade Unions and climate groups call national Heat Strike

Post author:The Canary
Post published:24 June 2026
Post last modified:24 June 2026

A coalition of trade unions and climate groups announced on 23 June that they’re calling a national Heat Strike at the peak of the heatwave this week. This is after the UK Health Security Agency issued a rare red heat health alert, followed by the Met Office’s Red Extreme Heat Warning for parts of England. Temperatures were forecast to reach as high as 39°C, smashing previous records for June. Along with members of the public around the UK, the organisations taking part in the Heat Strike include: Trades Union Congress (TUC). Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU). Fire Brigades Union…

Unions respond: “Reform are no friends of working people”

Post author:Alex/Rose Cocker
Post published:10 June 2026
Post last modified:10 June 2026

Reform — The trade unions have hit back against Farage’s recent pitiful appeal to try to bring the UK labour movement over to the far-right. Quite unsurprisingly, they’ve seen through his ridiculous claim that: Reform is now the party of workers. Farage also invited unions to apply for affiliation, and welcomed union leadership to attend the party conference. However, those same leaders have now told him where to shove it in reply. ‘Let’s be crystal clear’ On 8 June, the Times published an interview with Nigel Farage, trying to lure trade unions into affiliation with Reform UK. The fascist rag highlighted…

Farage tells unions to ditch Labour for racist Reform

Post author:HG
Post published:9 June 2026
Post last modified:9 June 2026

Nigel Farage has called on the Unions to ditch Labour and instead join far-right Reform UK. Reform is now the party of workers. Today I am inviting trade unions to apply for affiliation with Reform UK. We also welcome union leaders to attend our national conference in September and engage in discussions about the policies of a future Reform government. pic.twitter.com/v9dRHMmwU4 — Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) June 9, 2026 Farage has never been a member of a union. Instead, he has spent most of his career spouting hatred at them. Nigel Farage hasn’t been a member of a union his whole…

Unions welcome ‘Summer Savings’ plan but want it to go further

Post author:The Canary
Post published:22 May 2026
Post last modified:8 June 2026

Trade unions have offered a guarded welcome to the government’s ‘Summer Savings’ plans. These include several measures which aim to ease summer holiday expense for families with children. Labour affiliated transport union TSSA has welcomed as an ‘important first step’ the government’s introduction of free bus travel for under-16s in England across August. This was part a series of measures that chancellor Rachel Reeves outlined, called ‘Great British Summer Savings’. It also includes a temporary reduction in VAT across Scotland, England and Wales from June to September. The reduction applies to admission tickets for family shows and attractions and children’s menu…