TUC chief says people worry that Labour’s promise of change is just a slogan

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak has said that many people are now worried that Labour’s manifesto promise of change may be nothing more than a slogan.

Speaking on GB News, he said: “What I would say is even the Prime minister himself last week said that he understood that people were frustrated and angry, that change hadn’t been delivered as fast as people want it, and that’s what the government was elected 14 months ago to do.

“That manifesto had one word on the front of it, change, and I think for far too many people, that still feels like a slogan rather than part of their everyday lives.

“So today, in my Congress speech, I’ll be asking the government to show whose side they’re on, to be on the side of working class communities up and down the country and to deliver the change that people voted for, whether that’s improved workers rights, whether that’s better public services, show people you’re serious about change.”

In a discussion with Eamonn Holmes and Ellie Costello, he added: “You should judge politicians by what they do, and not just how they come across on the media, Eamonn. And let’s give a practical example, the Employment Rights Bill that’s currently in Parliament.

“This will be the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation. It will ban zero hours contracts and give people employment rights from day one. It will be a massive upgrade for millions of workers.

“What’s really important now is the government delivers it and delivers it in full. And what I can tell you is that that legislation has the support of voters right across the political spectrum.

“It doesn’t matter whether you voted Tory the last election, Labour, or Reform, employment rights and that Employment Rights Bill is popular, and that is a good example of the change the government can and should deliver.”

On the Tube strikes in London, he said: “Of course, I support the workers exercising their democratic right to take strike action. I think the last thing anybody wants, including those workers, is industrial action on the underground. Those workers lose pay, after all.

“I think what’s really important now is that TFL gets around the table with the RMT and reaches a fair settlement. That would be good for the workers, it’d be good for Londoners, and it’d be good for business as well.

“But absolutely, those workers have my support when they take that difficult decision to take strike action.”