LONDON, Sept 8, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - British trade unions host their annual
meeting in Brighton on Sunday as they call for the new Labour government to
fix public services and improve working conditions.

The conference is hosted by the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the organising
body that represents a large part of trade unions in England and Wales, and
will run until Wednesday.

"It's the first TUC congress in 15 years under a Labour government. It's a
big deal," a TUC spokesperson told AFP.

"We are ready to work with this government after 14 years of chaos," the
spokesperson added.

The Labour Party has historically been allied with trade union organisations,
which contribute a substantial amount to the party's income.

A government figure is set to speak at the conference on Tuesday -- Prime
minister Keir Starmer's name has been circulated, although this is
unconfirmed.

The TUC is calling for the new government to provide a "long-term plan to fix
public services", which are struggling to attract and retain staff as
salaries have lagged over recent years while work loads have been heavy.

Coming to power after 14 years of Conservative rule, the Labour Party has
already guaranteed above-inflation wage increases in frontline services, many
of which have faced a series of strikes over the past few years, from rail to
health.

This is a "crucial first step", according to the TUC.

However, the TUC wants the government to go further and fully compensate
civil servants for the decline in their purchasing power over the last 14
years.

While the recently appointed chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves,
promises "iron discipline" over public finances, trade unions could pile the
pressure on the centre-left Labour party.

In their election manifesto, the Labour party laid out proposals to legally
ban practises such as "fire and rehire" -- where employers let workers go in
order to rehire them on contracts with inferior terms -- and to ban zero-
hours contracts, which leave workers without a minimum number of hours to be
worked.

The government's proposals are "good for workers and employers", TUC
secretary general Paul Nowak said on X.

He warned that "if you've built your business model on low-paid, insecure
employment, you will need to change".