Politics for the Many

THE RAGGED TROUSERED PHILANTHROPISTS - High Peak
2023-02-24 19:30 - 21:30 (Europe/London)
One Man Magic Lantern show of the classic book THE RAGGED TROUSERED PHILANTHROPISTS by Robert Tressell
Actor Neil Gore brings this humorous and absorbing book to life in his one person magic lantern show. Based on the 1914 novel by Robert Tressell, it’s story is set in the building trades of Edwardian England where painters and decorators struggle to maintain themselves and their families, poverty and the constant fear of unemployment notwithstanding, while renovating a large townhouse for the local mayor.
With projected animation & fantastic story telling there’s something for all the family here, not least the chance to become acquainted with this timeless story of socialism and political awakening.
SPRING BANK ARTS CENTRE
NEW MILLS, HIGH PEAK SK22 4BH

THE RAGGED TROUSERED PHILANTHROPISTS - Derbyshire
2023-02-25
One Man Magic Lantern show of the classic book THE RAGGED TROUSERED PHILANTHROPISTS by Robert Tressell
Actor Neil Gore brings this humorous and absorbing book to life in his one person magic lantern show. Based on the 1914 novel by Robert Tressell, it’s story is set in the building trades of Edwardian England where painters and decorators struggle to maintain themselves and their families, poverty and the constant fear of unemployment notwithstanding, while renovating a large townhouse for the local mayor.
With projected animation & fantastic story telling there’s something for all the family here, not least the chance to become acquainted with this timeless story of socialism and political awakening.

SPIRAL ARTS CENTRE DERBYSHIRE

Schools rep training - Dundee
2023-02-27 10:45 - 14:00
Are you interested in teaching young people about their rights at work? Come along to our STUC Unions into Schools rep training in Dundee next February, all welcome!

This training session in Dundee will take place on Monday, 27 February 2023 and lasts from 10:45am to 2pm.
Come along to hear about a bit background on STUC Unions into Schools over the last 17 years and our enhanced plans for the next 3 years to expand the programme even further.
We will look at how we deliver a classroom session in Scottish Secondary schools and we will provide a safe place for discussion on union reps ideas and suggestions on how we develop our trade union role in schools. Reps will be able to sign up to become a rep on the day or can agree to shadow a more experienced rep to gain some insight or you can just attend to find out more info
Draft agenda below:
10.45 Doors open – coffee/tea/biscuits provided
11am Introductions and start of session
11.20am Background to Unions into Schools
12Noon What a union/STUC classroom session looks like
BREAK at 12.30pm with lunch provided by STUC
1pm visits/events coming up
1.15pm STUC/rep role, introducing yourself and trade unions in a classroom.
2pm closing remarks
Please note you must have permission from your own workplace/union to attend this event. For more information please visit: https://stuc-schools.org/

TUC Pensions Conference 2023 - London
2023-03-01 09:30 - 16:30
Overview

Registrations are now open for the TUC Pension Conference 2023. This event is intended for trade union members and officials, pension fund trustees, and anyone with an interest in pensions policy.
The conference will explore how workers’ pensions can be protected from the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and recession.
Join us at Congress Centre in central London to hear from a range of expert speakers, including shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth.

Unison - 2023 National Community Conference and Seminar - Bournemouth
2023-03-03 - 2023-03-04
Members can now request to be register to attend the 2023 National Community Conference and Seminar. The Online Conferencing System (OCS) is now open to allow branches to register delegates and submit motions in line with the rule-book requirements.

International Women’s Day 2023 #EmbraceEquity
2023-03-08
Get ready for International Women’s Day 2023 campaign theme #EmbraceEquity
Learn about the International Women’s Day 2023 campaign theme here.
We can all help forge women’s equality. Everyone everywhere can play a part.
Have you registered as part of the IWD community?

Mary Macarthur Lecture 2023
2023-03-09 19:00 - 21:00
Each year we hear from a number of leading women in the academia and trade unions, as we discuss what lessons we should learn from Mary’s experience organising vulnerable working women and how we build a more progressive future for working women.
For this lecture we are excited to have Rachel Reeves, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, who has proudly served as a Member of Parliament for Leeds West since 2010.

Building a trade union response to the far right - online meeting
2023-03-13 14:30 - 16:00
On Monday 13 March, 2.30-4pm, join the TUC’s online national meeting for trade unionists – Building a trade union response to the far right. The event will explore ways in which local trade union groups are organising and can oppose the far right. And it will provide a launching pad for a national UK anti-fascist network.

THE RAGGED TROUSERED PHILANTHROPISTS - Bristol
2023-03-15, 2023-03-16
One Man Magic Lantern show of the classic book THE RAGGED TROUSERED PHILANTHROPISTS by Robert Tressell
Actor Neil Gore brings this humorous and absorbing book to life in his one person magic lantern show. Based on the 1914 novel by Robert Tressell, it’s story is set in the building trades of Edwardian England where painters and decorators struggle to maintain themselves and their families, poverty and the constant fear of unemployment notwithstanding, while renovating a large townhouse for the local mayor.
With projected animation & fantastic story telling there’s something for all the family here, not least the chance to become acquainted with this timeless story of socialism and political awakening.
ALMA TAVERN BRISTOL

Support the Strike - Cardiff rally
2023-03-15 11:30 - 13:00
Join us in Cardiff to stand in solidarity with workers striking for better pay and conditions.
Public services have been devastated by 13 long years of Tory misrule. Public sector workers are overworked, underpaid, and trying to prevent public services from collapsing.
We will meet outside the UK Government Office in Central Square at 11.30. Bring your friends, colleagues, family and placards.
Let’s send a clear message to Rishi Sunak – workers in Wales need fair pay and Wales needs fair funding now!
Share the rally information with everyone you know.

RESIST RACISM - CARDIFF March and Rally for UN Anti Racism Day
2023-03-18 11:00 - 17:00
On Saturday 18 March join the annual Stand up to Racism Resit Racism march and rally at Cardiff City Hall from 11am.

Details

Event by Stand Up To Racism Wales, Wales TUC Cymru and 3 others

Cardiff City Hall / Neuadd y Ddinas Caerdydd

Public · Anyone on or off Facebook

RESIST RACISM
CARDIFF (London and Glasgow)
March and Rally for UN Anti Racism Day
Called By Stand Up to Racism Wales, Wales TUC, Race Council Cymru, EYST, Race Alliance Wales.
Get you organisation to back it!
Organise Transport!
DONT LET THEM DIVIDE US!
*Refugees Welcome
*Stop the Rwanda Plan
*Black Lives Matter
*No racism, no fascism
*Stand Up To racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism & Sinophobia
*Stop scapegoating Gypsies, Roma & Travellers

Lobbying for PR
2023-03-22 18:30 - 20:00 | Online
Join our last online event before the local elections to find out what’s next in the #Labour4PR National Policy Forum campaign. When members return from canvassing in early May, we’ll be coming together to lobby key parts of the party for a commitment to electoral reform in the policy programme.
In early May we’ll be holding mass meetings between members and their elected regional NPF representatives all over the UK, to set out why the next Labour government needs to scrap First Past the Post.
And in late May, you’re invited to a mass lobby of Parliament – calling on MPs of all parties to sort out our political system by backing a fair voting system.
With the party’s consultation closing on 17 March, the L4ND team will talk you through this important second phase of the NPF campaign. Come along to find out everything you need to know.

MVM North Yorkshire and York at NEU Teachers Conference
2023-04-03 13:00 - 14:45
Please join us at our street event at the NEU Teachers Conference, Harrogate
MVM will be leafletting Teachers from all over UK in their lunchbreak from the NEU Conference. We will also have a display table, all being well. Please join us there if you can. All hands on deck to get teachers aware of the FPTP – PR issue; and to raise profile of MVM as an organisation opposing FPTP corruption.

Monday, April 3, 2023
12:00 AM 1:45 PM
Harrogate Convention Centre (map)
Meet at Entrance 1 between 12.00 and 12.15.

MVM North Yorkshire and York at NEU Teachers Conference, Harrogate
2023-04-05 13:00 - 14:45
Please join us at our street event at the NEU Teachers Conference, Harrogate
MVM will be leafletting Teachers from all over UK in their lunchbreak from the NEU Conference. We will also have a display table, all being well. Please join us there if you can. All hands on deck to get teachers aware of the FPTP – PR issue; and to raise profile of MVM as an organisation opposing FPTP corruption.

Wednesday, April 5, 2023
12:00 PM 1:45 PM
Harrogate Convention Centre (map)
Meet at Entrance 1 between 12.00 and 12.15.

MVM Oxfordshire debate and Councils for PR announcement!
2023-04-13 20:00 - 22:00
Join the debate with Make Votes Matter and top speakers including Layla Moran MP for Oxford West & Abingdon Thursday 13 April 2023 at 7 p.m.
at The Wesley Memorial Church, New Inn Hall Street, Oxford, OX1 2DH
Find out what your local councillors think of PR as we announce the results of our Councils for PR survey.

Straight to the Facts: In Conversation with Will Moy - Sheffield
2023-04-15 18:00 - 19:30
In partnership with the University of Sheffield
In the wake of a spate of high profile fake news stories and disinformation, calls for fact checking have reached new heights, but can fact checking really save public debate? Is it able to meet public demands? Or is political speech so polarised that it is no longer possible to establish commonly held facts? At this event, Will Moy, the Chief Executive of Full Fact, shares his insight from over a decade working at the forefront of the fact checking debate. Responding to new findings from a team of University of Sheffield academics, this event asks whether public debate is condemned to be inherently unhealthy, or whether fact checking can restore democratic debate.
Will Moy is the Chief Executive of Full Fact, the UK’s only independent fact checking organisation, which checks claims made by politicians, interest groups and the media. Full Fact work to counter bad information and expose the harm misleading claims can have. Will has worked at Full Fact since 2009 and is a leading voice in efforts to counter disinformation and bring about more informed public debate.

Unison - 2023 National Health Care Service Group Conference - Bournemouth
2023-04-17 - 2023-04-20
Members can now request to be register to attend the 2023 National Health Care Service Group Conference. The Online Conferencing System (OCS) is now open to allow branches to register delegates and submit motions in line with the rule-book requirements.

126th STUC Congress - Dundee
2023-04-17 - 2023-04-20
Congress comes at a pivotal moment for our movement. This past year, our affiliate unions mobilised their members, fighting, campaigning and winning stunning successes for workers against the Scottish Government, public bodies and private employers during this unrelenting cost-of-living crisis. With outstanding disputes and an incoming UK Government Tory Strikes Bill, our Congress acts as the direct platform for workers to campaign and collectivise against poverty, discrimination and inequality in and outwith the workplace.
Congress is set to be addressed by:
• Humza Yousaf MSP, First Minister of Scotland (Monday 17th April)
• Angela Rayner MP, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party (Tuesday 18th April)
• Roz Foyer, STUC General Secretary (Tuesday 18th April)
• Paul Nowak, TUC General Secretary (Tuesday 18th April)
• Andrea Bradley, STUC Women’s Committee Chair (Tuesday 18th April)
• Anas Sarwar MSP, Leader of the Scottish Labour Party (Wednesday 19th April)
This year’s congress will attract over 350 delegates and visitors, representing 37 trade unions and 20 trade union councils. Issues debated by Congress include:

Saving our public services – fairer taxes for Scotland
National care service & public ownership in Scotland
Tackling the energy crisis
Safe travel for workers
Buffer zones

Applications to attend as a visitor can be made by emailing Louise Ireland at lireland@stuc.org.uk
Congress paperwork including motions and the programme can be found on our documents page.

PCS National Climate Week launch
2023-04-17 14:00 - 15:00 | Online
The first PCS National Climate Week is taking place from 17 to 21 April.
To launch the week, there will be an online lunchtime event open to all members on Monday 17 April from 1-2pm.
Climate Crisis, Energy and Cost of Living Crisis
Speakers: Matthew Crighton Scotland Just Transition Partnership, Living Wages on Living Planet, Sabrina Espeleta War on Want, Profiting from Hunger.
The aim of National Climate Week is to raise awareness and educate on climate and environmental issues across the union and why this is a trade union issue. For example by highlighting how the energy, climate and cost of living crises connect to issues of low pay, and therefore are central to our wider industrial aims.
Please join this event and think about running your own within your branch or workplace. This can be from running a stall to a lunchtime talk on an issue of interest to members.
Joining instructions are on the PCS website.

AI@Work: a TUC conference on the implications of AI in the workplace - London
2023-04-18 09:30 - 13:30
What is it like being managed by AI? What is the impact of AI in different sectors of work, like health, education and the creative arts?
As what has become known as the ‘fourth industrial revolution’ unfolds, how will legislators, regulators and policy makers respond?
The TUC is bringing together unions, politicians, regulators, think tanks, lawyers, technologists and employers to explore these questions and share ideas about how we can ensure that everyone benefits from advances in technology at work.
Join us for breakfast at the TUC’s Congress House, and then spend a morning in our Council Chamber for a lively discussion between some of the leading thinkers in the AI space.
In this fast-moving context of data reform, the AI White Paper, the EU AI Act, and ground-breaking technological developments like ChatGPT and DALL-E, there will be plenty to consider.
The TUC will also launch a TUC Education e-learning programme on AI at work.
Sandwich lunch also served

Access to Work Webinar
2023-04-18 13:00 - 14:30
A 90 minute webinar to help activists and members better support disabled members in obtaining Access to Work, the government scheme that can help pay for reasonable adjustments at work.
The webinar will also look at how to give disabled members the tools to obtain Access to Work for themselves and will hear from members about their experience of getting support.

We're all coming together to help Sort The System - online rally
2023-04-18 19:30 - 21:30
We’re all coming together to help Sort The System.
Sort The System – The Lobby for Equal Votes – will bring hundreds of people to Westminster on 24 May to demand that our MPs back a change in the voting system – so that everyone has a vote that counts equally.
To prepare for that, join us on zoom for a virtual rally on the evening of 18 April to find out why Sort The System is going to be our biggest opportunity yet to make the case for Proportional Representation.
Hear from senior politicians like Stephen Kinnock, Tommy Shepherd and Zack Polanski about why mass lobbies like Sort The System are important – and why now is the time!
Alongside them will be senior figures from across the democracy movement, including Tom Brake (Unlock Democracy), Jess Garland (ERS), Laura Parker (L4ND), Nancy Platts (Politics for the Many), and MVM’s own Klina Jordan.
Together, they’ll be able to answer any questions you may have about Sort The System and provide advice on how to engage MPs of all parties in a conversation about electoral reform.
Book your place

Our Broken Politics: How Can We Rebuild Our Democracy? Sheffield and online
2023-04-18 20:00 - 22:00
In partnership with Sheffield For Democracy
How can we prevent a Government that was elected on a minority of votes steering our politics towards empowering and privileging the elite, whilst undermining the principles of equal rights, equal participation and equal opportunities?
From making it harder to vote by requiring photo ID, to outlawing some forms of demonstration, the rights of everyone to participate equally are being undermined: we need a major rethink in how our democratic system is structured.
We need an elected Upper Chamber of Parliament; power shared between national and local government; and equality in our voting system so that everyone’s vote counts. But how to get there?
Speakers
Darren Hughes, Director of the Electoral Reform Society and Councillor Abtisam Mohamed, Labour Party

Wales TUC Greener Workplaces Network
2023-04-20 11:00 - 12:45
How can we support nature and create greener and healthier workplaces?

Venue: Hybrid – join online via Teams or in-person at the Wales TUC offices, 1 Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF11 9SD
Register now
Nature is in crisis. We are facing an ‘age of extinction’, with animals and plants being lost at an unprecedented rate. In Wales, as many as one in six species is at risk. But although the situation is grave, there are many simple actions we can take that can both positively support nature and create greener and healthier workplaces.
Join us at this friendly network which is open to all trade union officers, reps and activists with an interest in tackling the climate and nature emergencies. Find out what actions unions are taking and how you can get involved and make a difference. We’ll be looking at some global and national campaigns calling for wider changes to support nature, as well as practical actions that you can take to make your workplace both more wildlife friendly and better for human health too.
Topics covered as part of the session will include:

Find out how to get involved in Climate Cymru’s new ‘nature positive’ campaign
Learn how to make your workplace ‘Bee Friendly’ with Friends of the Earth Cymru
Taking action to tackle workplace environmental and health hazards that harm people and nature – such as artificial grass, glyphosate and other toxic substances – new resources from the Hazards Campaign
Share your own examples and ideas of positive workplace action to support wildlife and nature

We’ll also be looking ahead and planning for upcoming Clean Air Day and Big Green Week in June, sharing ideas for workplace events. There will be opportunities to join breakout discussion groups and network with other reps. Register here.

The legacy of Stephen Lawrence - 30 years on
2023-04-21 19:30 - 22:30
Join the TUC and Dr Neville Lawrence on the 30th anniversary marking the death of Stephen Lawrence and the ongoing fight to secure racial justice.
On 22 April 1993, Stephen Lawrence, aged 18, was racially attacked and murdered by a group of white men. His attackers were arrested but never charged. The handling of the case by the Met Police was riddled with racism.
Four years after the murder, the then Home Secretary, Jack Straw, launched a public inquiry into his death that found the Metropolitan Police to be institutionally racist, and that this had obstructed the arrest and conviction of Stephen’s murderers.
This is what led the TUC to establish its first anti-racism task group – the Stephen Lawrence Task Group – to oversee the work of trade unions to tackle institutional racism.
Decades on, institutional racism still remains a challenge at work and in wider society. The trade union movement will continue to call out and challenge racism whenever and wherever it exists.

Usdaw Annual Delegate Meeting
2023-04-23 - 2023-04-27 | Winter Gardens, Blackpool
The Annual Delegate Meeting (ADM) is the biggest and most important event in the Union’s calendar.
The four-day conference brings together elected reps from across the UK and all Usdaw sectors to decide the Union’s policies and priorities for the coming year.
It involves debates, and votes, on propositions, and statements from the National Executive Council as well as rule change proposals. A variety of high profile guest speakers also attend.
If you are an active rep you may want to participate in the ADM. Branches may also wish to send members as visitors. Find out more from your local Usdaw office.
What is the timetable?

A Preliminary Agenda Paper, including all the propositions will be circulated in late January to which branches can send amendments by end February.
At the same time branches will be asked to elect their delegates and visitors before mid March.
In April the Interim Agenda Paper will be sent out along with the Annual Report and Executive Council Statements.
Two weeks later delegates and visitors credentials will be issued.

To get a flavour of previous ADMs you can check out the coverage in back copies of Arena and Network.
Usdaw’s booklet A Guide to the ADM is also available to download below or you can get a copy from your local Usdaw office.
Follow us on Twitter or Instagram for the latest updates @UsdawUnion and remember to use #Usdaw23

Delivering for Workers: Electoral Reform - USDAW conference - Blackpool
2023-04-24 14:00 - 15:00
Join Labour for a New Democracy and the Electoral Reform Society for a discussion on how Proportional Representation delivers a better deal for workers.
Refreshments provided

Rage Against the Machine: Young People & Political Power - Sheffield
2023-04-25 19:00 - 20:45
In partnership with Sheffield Futures
Sheffield Futures’ Young Advisors have curated a panel of politicians, professionals and activists to explore power as a young person within the current political climate. Drawing on different perspectives, the debate will consider the intricacies of our political system and what it means to be of voting age in 2023. The session aims to answer questions such as: where does voting apathy stem from, what do the new protest bills mean for activism, and how can young people remain optimistic and empowered?
Exploring both the democratic voting system and activism, the Young Advisors will stimulate discussion about the future of protesting – within recent legislation – leaving audience members with a clear vision of how to engage others and remain positive and impassioned. There will be time for audience questions, and to get involved and air thoughts or queries – an opportunity to speak with experts that will provide valuable insights and reinforce a drive for change in attendees.
Hosted and chaired by Sheffield Futures’ Young Advisors, this discussion – and audience Q&A – will be insightful and relevant, exploring the current youth experience of politics leading up to the local elections in May.

An industrial strategy for home decarbonisation - London
2023-04-26 10:30 - 12:00
The need to reduce energy demand and significantly ramp up energy efficiency efforts in the face of the current energy crisis is now widely accepted. This is in addition to the longstanding benefits of lower energy bills, warmer homes, job creation, and reduced carbon emissions.
A national mission is needed to deliver a home decarbonisation programme at pace and scale. Indeed, many of the political parties have set ambitious targets to upgrade the nation’s homes over the next decade.
A mission-oriented approach is particularly applicable for this challenge because of the need to overcome a range of challenges to successfully insulate homes, from supply chain issues, to ensuring we have a skilled labour force, and getting the finance right.
We will examine the practical barriers, from supply chain issues to labour shortages, that need to be overcome to decarbonise our homes and the role that industrial strategy can play in doing so.
Our speakers:

The Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, Chair of the Environmental Audit Select Committee
Kerry McCarthy MP, Shadow Minister for Climate Change
Dr Anna Valero, Associate of the Grantham Research Institute
Nicholas Harris, Chief Executive Officer, Stonewater
Luke Murphy, Associate Director for Energy, Climate, Housing and Infrastructure and Head of the Fair Transition Unit, IPPR
Chair: Fiona Harvey, Environment Editor, the Guardian

This event is taking place on Wednesday 26th April from 9.30 – 11am in the Council Room at One Great George Street, London, SW1P 3AA. This event is being held in partnership with Stonewater.
