Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
THE 2023 TUC Congress will be held in Liverpool from September 10-13, and there will be one motion, one debate, which will be looked forward to by all local trades councils activists. This is the motion from the Prison Officers’ Association, which will be seconded by the Communication Workers Union.
It reads: “Congress accepts that trades councils have a rich history in the trade union movement and play an active part in communities supporting the wider movement and TUC campaigns.
“Further it is recognised that trades councils have a combined affiliated membership of hundreds of thousands of members throughout the movement. Yet trades councils are seriously under-represented within Congress.
The Morning Star here publishes a speech that would have been given by Stop the War officer and longtime NEU and NUT activist Alex Kenny on the eve of the verdicts handed to Chris Nineham and Ben Jamal this week. He also explains why he couldn’t give it
CWU leader DAVE WARD tells Ben Chacko a strategy to unite workers on class lines is needed – and sectoral collective bargaining must be at its heart
Women are a vital part of the labour movement and have much to contribute, but there’s far more to be done to make sure that our sisters’ voices are truly heard, says PHILIPA HARVEY
Our members face serious violence, crumbling workplaces and exposure to dangerous drugs — it is outrageous we still cannot legally use our industrial muscle to fight back and defend ourselves, writes STEVE GILLAN


