What History is For - Tribute to Professor John Foster
2025-04-26 16:00 - 17:30 (Europe/London)
A special in person and online tribute to Professor John Foster. Copies of the new book “What History is For” (Manifesto Press 2025), which is dedicated to him, will be on sale.

Saturday, 26 April 2025 – 3:00pm
Marx Memorial Library & Workers’ School, 37a Clerkenwell Green, London, EC1R 0DU

Contact
Email: info@marx-memorial-library.org.uk
Phone: 020 7523 1485

International Workers' Memorial Day
2025-04-28 - 2025-04-29
International Workers’ Memorial Day, held on 28 April every year, brings together workers and their representatives from all over the world to remember the dead and fight for the living.

STUC congress 2025 - Dundee
2025-04-28 - 2025-05-01

2025 Mary Macarthur Lecture
2025-05-02 20:00 - 23:00
Reserve your place at this year’s Mary Macarthur Lecture and hear from Novara Media’s Labour Movement Correspondent Polly Smythe.
The Mary Macarthur Lecture is an opportunity for leading women to outline the challenges they see facing women in the world of work and wider society today and how we respond to these challenges to deliver a fairer, more equal and progressive future.
As we continue to suffer an assault on living standards, the erosion of public services and a threat to our right to strike, this year’s lecture is timely.
Join us to discuss how we build a fairer, more progressive society.
Sandwell Council House
Freeth St
Oldbury
B69 3DE

USDAW Annual Delegate Meeting
2025-05-04 - 2025-05-08
The Annual Delegate Meeting (ADM) is the biggest and most important event in the Union’s calendar.
Line up:

Representing you in the workplace
Representing you to government and policy makers
Campaigning for a better future
Providing advice and guidance

Labour for a New Democracy - campaign update: May 2025 - online
2025-05-07 19:00 - 20:00
Save the date for our next campaign update: Wednesday 7 May 2025.
In the wake of this year’s local elections, join the Labour for a New Democracy team to discuss progress and plans in the campaign for electoral reform both inside and outside Parliament.
A link to attend this virtual event will be emailed upon RSVP
Host Contact Info: hello@labourforanewdemocracy.org.uk

Equity annual conference - Derry
2025-05-10 - 2025-05-13
Equity Conference is coming to Derry from Saturday 10 – Monday 12 May 2025. We look forward to welcoming members from across the UK for three days to debate policy and engage with the union’s industrial and campaigning work.
Would you like to attend?
Every member based in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is eligible to attend, by standing to be one of your branch’s representatives. Please get in touch with your local branch to find out when and how to put yourself forward. All expenses are covered in line with our policy.
You can download the full timetable for the lead up to conference at the bottom of this page (including the deadlines for confirming motions and representatives).

Mental Health Awareness Week
2025-05-12 - 2025-05-19
This year, Mental Health Awareness Week will take place from 12 to 18 May 2025. The theme for 2025 is ‘Community’.
Being part of a safe, positive community is vital for our mental health and wellbeing. We thrive when we have strong connections with other people and supportive communities that remind us, we are not alone. Communities can provide a sense of belonging, safety, support in hard times, and give us a sense purpose.
We want to use Mental Health Awareness Week to celebrate the power and importance of community.

Oxfordshire Burford Levellers Day Stall and March
2025-05-17 11:30 - 13:00
Join is for our Levellers Day Stall and march.
We look forward to seeing you there!
If you would like further information please contact:
mvmoxon@gmail.com

ASLEF annual delegate conference - Durham
2025-05-19 - 2025-05-23

PCS annual delegate conference - Brighton
2025-05-20 - 2025-05-23
ADC 2025 will be a hybrid conference. The physical conference, held in the Brighton Centre, Kings Road, Brighton, BN1 2GR, will include speakers and voting from the conference floor; speaking and voting procedures will also be open to delegates attending online.

FBU annual conference - Blackpool
2025-05-20 - 2025-05-24
CONFERENCE 2025
The Imperial Hotel,
North Promenade, Blackpool, FY1 2HB
20, 21, 22 & 23 May 2025

Be a Councillor
2025-05-22 19:30 - 21:00
If you are passionate about your local community, we need you!
Councillors make a huge difference to the quality of life of local people and how local issues are dealt with. We need people from all backgrounds and experiences who reflect the communities they serve to put themselves forward for election.
The Disability Policy Centre are running, an online, ‘Be a Councillor Event’, to find out about the role of a local councillor, and how you can put yourself forward to be elected to serve your community.

UCU Congress 2025 - Liverpool
2025-05-24 - 2025-05-27
UCU’s supreme policy-making body of the union is its annual congress. Congress includes separate annual meetings of UCU’s further and higher education sector conferences, where policy particular to these areas is decided.

In addition, special sector conferences are sometimes called between the annual congress meetings in order to pass policy on specific urgent matters.

Change: How? A Decade of Radical Renewal
2025-05-31 11:00 - 18:00
Labour for a New Democracy is organising a session at ‘CHANGE: HOW? A Decade of Radical Renewal’, a one-day conference organised by Compass about the Labour government’s vision for the future and how we can truly transform our economy, democracy and society.
Click here to buy tickets.

Marx Memorial Library - book sale - London
2025-06-07 12:00 - 13:30
Our twice-yearly Second-Hand Book Sale
11am to 3pm

Saturday, 7 June 2025 – 11:00am
Marx Memorial Library & Workers’ School, 37a Clerkenwell Green, London, EC1R 0DU

Contact
Email: info@marx-memorial-library.org.uk
Phone: 020 7523 1485

GMB Congress - Brighton
2025-06-08 - 2025-06-13

BFAWU annual conference - Yarnfield
2025-06-14 - 2025-06-20
BFAWU conference meets each year to discuss, review and update the union’s policy agenda. It is the highest decision-making body in the union. Delegates vote on resolutions that will provide the outline of the Unions work over the coming year.
2025 Annual Conference will be held at; Yarnfield Park, Yarnfield, Stone, Staffordshire, ST15 0NL
The venue is a cashless venue which only accepts card payments.
Conference Delegates will arrive Saturday 13th June and depart Thursday 19th June 2024

TUC Midlands & Stand Up TO Racism Regional Summit
2025-06-14 11:30 - 17:00
The annual TUC Midlands and Stand Up To Racism anti racism summit will take place on 14 June.
This year’s event will have a particular focus on understanding the rise of the far right, the tactics that they employ, the differences between groups on the right and, crucially, how we combat their narratives.

Unison National Delegate Conference - Liverpool
2025-06-17 - 2025-06-21
ACC Liverpool Kings Dock Street, Liverpool L3 4FP

TUC Women Chainmakers' Festival - Cradley Heath
2025-06-28 11:30 - 16:00
An annual event, featuring national entertainers and speakers, including a ‘MaryMacarthur’ in period costume delivering one of Mary’s rousing speeches and a procession of modern unions and ‘strikers’ dressed as Edwardian chainmakers, the festival ensures that this historic episode is celebrated by the local community and trade unionists from all over the country.
The Women Chainmakers’ Festival is coordinated by the TUC Midlands bringing together trade unions and community groups to host the only Trade Union run festival to celebrate the success of women. It is held at the Mary Macarthur Gardens in Cradley – Heath the home of the 1910 dispute.
The Gardens are watched over by an inspiring statue depicting Mary Macarthur and the women Chainmakers.
The Festival today is a family friendly event bringing alive memories of the past whilst inspiring visions for the future through street theatre, re-enactments, live metalworking, political stalls and speeches, music, children’s activities and entertainment.
As we have learnt, the Women Chainmakers worked in inhumane conditions; they did not own or control their means of production. The women had few rights and their living and social conditions, lack of education and limited experience outside of their immediate community made them vulnerable to exploitation.
The Women Chainmakers’ appalling working conditions could correspond with our understanding of modern-day slavery– exploitation, coercion, manipulation and an abuse of power by employers. We must remember that the plight of these women only became known due to the Sweated Industries exhibition of 1906.
Today, in Britain, Sweated Labour still exists. People work in precarious circumstances, in unsafe working conditions, for starvation salaries, and they remain unorganised and exploited.
There is much to celebrate and commemorate about the women Chainmakers of Cradley Heath and, sadly, their example and circumstances remains relevant to many working in Britain today.
The Chainmakers’ Festival brings the Black Country community together with the Trade Union movement. Through examining our history we can deliver a better future for women and our wider society.

Unite the Union - policy conference - Brighton
2025-07-07 - 2025-07-12

Durham Miners Gala
2025-07-12 - 2025-07-13
Held on the second Saturday of July the Durham Miners Gala sees trade unionists from across the country descend on Durham city and the event has developed into the largest gathering of trade unionists in the country. Highlights include wave after wave of banners, each typically accompanied by a brass band, which are marched to the old Racecourse, where political speeches are delivered. In the afternoon a miners’ service is also held in Durham Cathedral which may include the blessing of any new banners.
In 2025 make sure you put time in your diary to join one of the most important days in the trade union calendar. Find out more from the Durham Miners’ Association.
The Past We Inherit. The Future We Build.

Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival
2025-07-18 - 2025-07-19
This annual festival where thousands of people come together to celebrate trade unionism and remember the role of the Tolpuddle Martyrs offers a full programme of traditional and contemporary music and other attractions.
There has been an annual gathering to mark the story of the Tolpuddle Martyrs since 1930s. The event sees thousands of trade unionists from around the UK and the world descend on the small village in Dorset to celebrate the memory and legacy of the Tolpuddle Martyrs.
Tolpuddle 2025
The Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival isn’t run like a commercial festival and relies upon volunteers and the generosity of unions and allies. It doesn’t make a profit and the TUC covers the deficit. As the festival has grown to include a large variety of activities, the organisers have introduced affordable tickets. The organisers remain committed to ensuring this festival is accessible to working class families and trade unionists. The cost depends on when people arrive, whether they camp, stay in local accommodation or just come for a short day visit. The organisers offer discount rates for children, with free weekend entry for children under five.
If you are coming for the Friday and/or Saturday entertainment, you must have a valid weekend entry wristband. And if you are camping, camping and/or parking passes need to be purchased in addition to the wristband(s).
With the large rally and march on Sunday, the organisers remain committed to keeping this vibrant part of the festival free to attend but visitors will be charged a small (approx £15) fee for parking if coming with their own vehicle. Sunday Shuttle Buses are also available for Sunday day-guests to book. Please respect the Festival and safety of the local community by using the car parks. The organisers work closely with villagers and the security team to prevent people from parking on the narrow lane verges.

Up to date details from the main Tolpuddle Martyrs festival event website will appear closer to the time of the event.

Musicians' Union Delegate Conference - Liverpool
2025-07-22 - 2025-07-24
The MU’s next biennial Delegate Conference will be held at the Hilton Hotel, City Centre Liverpool, on Tuesday 22 July and Wednesday 23 July 2025
Conference is an exciting event that gives members the chance to produce new MU policy, guide the future work of the MU, engage in debate on the issues that matter to them most and ensure that the MU is working for all members, all of the time.
Past conferences have seen members set the agenda on issues such as: streaming, better representation of marginalised musicians, lobbying for arts funding, protecting BBC Introducing, advocating for instrumental music tuition, and informing members about photo ID for voting purposes. Conference is your chance to support the MU in creating a fairer, more equitable industry and trade union for all musicians.
At conference you will hear all about the work the MU has undertaken over the past two years and hear from industry speakers and MPs. You’ll also have plenty of time to network and connect with other members.
Catch up on what happened at the last Delegate Conference in 2023.

TUC Congress 2025 - Brighton
2025-09-07 - 2025-09-11 | Online
The 157th annual TUC Congress will be held on 7 – 10 September 2025, Brighton.

Information for sponsors, exhibitors and fringe organisers
TUC Congress over the years

Wigan Diggers Festival
2025-09-13 - 2025-09-14
We are looking forward to this year’s festival, more information to follow soon, please put the date in your diaries, and hopefully see you all then.

GMB - Hear from experts and ask questions
2025-09-17 19:00 - 20:00 | Online
Support for electoral reform is growing and as a GMB member, we need your help to bring the rest of the GMB on board.
Please will you consider taking our motion to your Branch meeting for GMB Congress 2026?
Before doing so, we appreciate that you may want more information so we have organised an online session exclusively for GMB members where you can hear from experts and ask questions. Here are the details:
Date: Wednesday 17th September 2025
Time: 6pm to 7pm
The meeting will be on the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87828707934?pwd=[REDACTED]
Who supports electoral reform?

The latest British Social Attitudes survey shows that 60% of the British public now support proportional representation (PR).
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Fair Elections is the largest APPG in Parliament.
ASLEF, BFAWU, FBU, Musicians Union, PCS, Prospect, TSSA, UCU, Unison, Unite and USDAW support electoral reform. CWU is holding a national policy forum to discuss the merits of adopting a PR election process this autumn.

Next steps
Papers calling for motions will be sent to GMB branches from head office in October. All you need to do is let your Branch Secretary know that you will be coming to the next meeting with a motion to discuss.
We will give you all the help you need to support you through the GMB policy-making process – all you need to do is ask.
We hope you can join us on 17th September. Meanwhile, please do have a read of our updated Trade Union Case for Political Reform.

CWU - Discuss the merits of adopting a PR election process
2025-09-23 19:00 - 20:00 | Online
Support for electoral reform is growing and CWU is planning a national policy forum for the autumn to ‘discuss the merits of adopting a PR election process’. This is in line with motion 56 which was unanimously passed at CWU’s conference in 2022.
We appreciate that you may want more information about electoral reform so we have organised an online session exclusively for CWU members where you can hear from experts and ask questions. Here are the details:
Date: Wednesday 23rd September 2025
Time: 6pm to 7pm
Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86567237376?pwd=[REDACTED]
Who supports electoral reform?

The latest British Social Attitudes survey shows that 60% of the British public now support proportional representation (PR).
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Fair Elections is the largest APPG in Parliament.
ASLEF, BFAWU, FBU, Musicians Union, PCS, Prospect, TSSA, UCU, Unison, Unite and USDAW support electoral reform. CWU is holding a national policy forum to discuss the merits of adopting a PR election process this autumn.

Next steps
We will let you know when we find out more about the policy forum and give you all the help you need to support you through CWU’s policy-making process – all you need to do is ask.
We hope you can join us on 23rd September. Meanwhile, please do have a read of our updated Trade Union Case for Political Reform.

Making Social Media Videos to Stop the Far Right - online
2025-12-09 14:00 - 15:30
Far right narratives and hate dominate our digital spaces, on TikTok, Insta and Facebook. This must change – and you can change it. Trade union members like you can make powerful social media videos – videos that can turn the tide and stop the far right.
This 90-minute online session will introduce how short, authentic videos can shift the narrative and strengthen solidarity.
This training is aimed at both public sector workers and industrial & manufacturing workers
This hands-on workshop will

Teach you to use your phone to make quality videos
Learn what makes social videos effective — how to hook attention, land your message, and inspire action
Includes intro to scripting, filming and editing social media videos that cut through.

By the end of the 90 minute session, you’ll leave with the confidence, practical skills and tools to start making progressive social media videos.
The session will be co-run by Richard Roaf and Craig Stewart. Richard has years of experience of making viral videos, and training thousands of people to produce social content that reaches big audiences and changes the world. Craig is a former petrochemical worker and now Project Officer at TUC, who has started producing powerful social media videos in 2025.
