THE Morning Star has a key role to play reaching Britain’s 18 million non-unionised workers, delegates at the TUC’s annual Congress in Brighton heard today.

BFAWU general secretary Sarah Woolley told the paper’s fringe meeting that every workplace should stock copies of the Star to “break through the anti-worker crap” perpetuated by Britain’s right-wing mainstream media.

The event, organised to highlight the paper’s role in helping workers to “educate, agitate and organise,” was also addressed by other key labour movement figures – including National Education Union joint general secretary Kevin Courtney – and Star editor Ben Chacko.

Ms Woolley said: “Rather than the mainstream media recognising that food workers, bus drivers, prison officers and lecturers are relying on food banks after years of real terms pay cuts, we see headlines stating that union leaders are on £100,000-plus salaries and are taking the country back to the ’70s.

“Well, I’m on nowhere near £100,000 a year and no-one was using a food bank in the ’70s, so I’d go back there tomorrow.

“We need the Morning Star in workplaces because it gets our members’ real-life experiences out there.”

The call was backed by Dave McCrossen, deputy general secretary of retail union Usdaw, who noted that the labour movement is “good at talking to ourselves but we need to take the message outside of this room.

“The best way to do that is by sharing our own personal stories and experiences and that’s why this paper is so important.”

Unite rep Jane Stewart said her union would support the Star “forever and a day because it’s the only paper that supports workers.”

She joked that Unite members should use some of the £200 million in pay increases won by reps under general secretary Sharon Graham to buy the paper every day. 

Mr Courtney praised the Star for offering real solutions to the problems workers face. 

He said: “Some papers report things being bad, but only the Morning Star presents the notion that working people can do something about it, that we’re not just weak, that if we act together we can make a difference.”

Mr Chacko noted the Star’s socialist character and stressed it is the only paper “rooted in the union movement and at the heart of campaigns that matter to you.”

The meeting was chaired by Carolyn Jones, vice-chair of the paper’s management committee.