TUC to call for Burnham to ‘face down vested interests’

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak will urge Andy Burnham to “face down vested interests” in an effort to deliver a growing economy that benefits everybody.

In his annual address at the TUC Congress in Brighton, the leader of Britain’s trade union movement will call out opponents of new workers’ rights, warning that “they only care about themselves and their bottom line”.

He will also urge Burnham to stand up to the big banks, the super-rich and outsourcing giants in the months ahead.

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Nowak will say: “The new Prime Minister has already started to give breathing space to families and businesses. But to deliver the circuit breaker he has promised the British public, Andy Burnham is going to have to be prepared to face down vested interests.

“I simply say this to the Prime Minister: ignore every single one of them. They don’t care about British workers. They don’t care about public services. They only care about themselves and their bottom line.

“If union busting tech billionaires can blast their pop star mates into space, then they can pay more tax.

“If water companies can’t provide basic services because they’ve paid out huge dividends for decades, then bring them back into public ownership.

 “And Prime Minister, make good on another promise. Because if dodgy bosses undercut decent employers by using casualised labour, then be clear: your government will end zero-hours contracts once and for all. It’s time to give everyone the right to a guaranteed hours contract.”

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Nowak will also call on the Prime Minister to tax the banks more to cut people’s energy bills and to “end the outsourcing rip-off” by delivering on the government’s promise of “the biggest ever wave of public sector insourcing”.

Nowak will address delegates of the TUC’s 47 affiliated unions, representing 5.3 million workers, later this morning.

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