TUC postpones annual Congress as “mark of respect” to Queen

The TUC has announced that its annual Congress, due to begin on Sunday and last for four days, will be postponed as a “mark of respect” to the Queen, who died at the age of 96 on Thursday.

A TUC spokesperson said: “The general council sends our condolences to the King and the royal family on the death of the Queen and recognises her many years of dedicated service to the country. As a mark of respect, we have decided to postpone Congress 2022 until later this autumn.”

Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday that the Queen – Britain’s longest-serving monarch – had died peacefully at the royal residence of Balmoral. Prince Charles is now King and will reign as King Charles III. His wife the Duchess of Cornwall is Queen Consort.

The new King has declared that a period of official royal mourning will take place from Friday until seven days after the Queen’s state funeral, the exact day of which is yet to be confirmed by the palace.

Prime Minister Liz Truss will confirm the length of a period of national mourning, which is expected to last for approximately 12 days and end the day after the Queen’s funeral.

The 154th TUC Congress had been scheduled to take place in Brighton between September 11th and 14th. Congress is where the trade union movement sets out its priorities for the coming year. The event is attended by delegates from each union.

Several unions have called off scheduled strike action in response to the Queen’s death. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said on Thursday that it was calling off a walkout by postal workers today “out of respect for her service to the country and her family”.

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) announced that rail strikes scheduled for September 15th and 17th had been suspended. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the union would join the “whole nation in paying its respects to Queen Elizabeth”.

Traindrivers’ union ASLEF said industrial action due to take place on September 15th would be postponed. The union’s statement added: “We express our deepest condolences to her family, friends and the country.”

The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) announced that it was cancelling planned strike action in September and said it would be “respecting the period of public mourning”.