Robinson successfully defended his school from closure, fought for the unification of the teaching unions, mentored future trade union leaders and transformed teaching at the Marx Memorial Library, writes JOHN FOSTER
Campaigning for workers’ rights in the south west
As trade unionists gather for their annual conference, battles against health service privatisation and exploitation of migrant workers highlight the urgent need to counter Reform’s divisive message, writes KERRY BAIGENT
[Jess Hurd Photography] 
A judge in a German court ruled that the ban activity imposed on renowned Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah was unlawful, reports LEON WYSTRYCHOWSKI
At the very moment Britain faces poverty, housing and climate crises requiring radical solutions, the liberal press promotes ideologically narrow books while marginalising authors who offer the most accurate understanding of change, writes IAN SINCLAIR
From Gaza protest bans to proscribing Palestine Action, political elites are showing a crisis of confidence as they abandon Roy Jenkins’s apologetic approach for Suella Braverman’s aggressive ‘hate march’ rhetoric, writes PAUL DONOVAN
ANSELM ELDERGILL examines the legal case behind this weekend’s Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival and the lessons for today
Ben Chacko talks to RMT leader EDDIE DEMPSEY about how the key to fixing broken Britain lies in collective sectoral bargaining, restoring unions’ ability to take solidarity strike action and bringing about the much-vaunted ‘wave of insourcing’
The summer of 1950 saw Labour abandon further nationalisation while escalating Korean War spending from £2.3m to £4.7m, as the government meekly accepted capitalism’s licence and became Washington’s yes-man, writes JOHN ELLISON
TRADE UNIONISTS are heading to the South West TUC (SWTUC) annual conference and AGM this weekend to participate in an agenda packed full of guest speakers, workshops and motions. We will be debating a range of important topics, including artificial intelligence, the migrant worker visa campaign, the Employment Rights Bill and the Unison motion against the current proposal to privatise community health services in Bath and NE Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire.
Unison will be speaking to delegates as we ramp up our campaign for Wes Streeting to call in the decision made in October 2024 to hand over community health services to a private healthcare firm affecting 2,000 workers.
HCRG (formerly Virgin Care) are owned by the private equity firm Twenty20 Capital and the contract was awarded without proper consultation and without meeting several legal obligations. This weekend we will be calling on affiliates to sign petitions, lobby councils and make their own submissions to the Secretary of State.
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The courage of striking Unison members across south-west England shows workers are ready to fight for their rights – and win, says Unison South West regional secretary KERRY BAIGENT
Unison South West regional secretary KERRY BAIGENT charts the recent successes for industrial action and organising in her area, and outlines the challenges ahead, urging Labour to deliver on workers’ rights and social care
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ANDY CHAFFER previews this week’s conference, where delegates will celebrate the strategies that have secured £40 million for NHS workers and debate the catastrophe of Labour and Tory austerity that has working-class voters turning to Reform UK
Delegates gathered to confront a broad range of issues from declining membership and a rising far-right threat to devolution and fighting union-busting giants like Amazon, reports GARETH LOWE
Despite the change in government, the NHS staffing emergency and council funding shortfalls continue while military spending rises, writes RUBEN BRETT
