‘Wages not weapons’

Delegates to September’s TUC Congress voted to overturn previous policy that supported increased defence spending.

Conference instead adopted a motion to prioritise investment in public services and reaffirmed that “our movement’s priority is welfare and wages, not weapons and war”.

The move followed prime minister Keir Starmer’s vow to make Britain “battle ready” by spending billions more on the defence industry.

The University and College Union initiated the campaign around the motion, which was also backed by the NEU, CWU, FBU, ASLEF, TSSA, PCS, Equity, BFAWU, POA — unions primarily active in public services.

In joint campaign materials, the unions argued: “Workers at home continue to bear the brunt of austerity, whilst billions are spent on wars abroad. The entire political establishment, from Farage [leader of the Reform UK party] to the Tories and the corporate media, are lined up behind this agenda for one simple reason: it serves their interests and is a direct attack on ours.”

The motion specifically pointed to British participation in the F-35 defence programme which “implicates it in Israel’s grave violations of international law in Gaza”.

However, the Unite, GMB and Prospect unions — all of whom have members in the defence sector — opposed the motion. Prospect general secretary Mike Clancy argued that the motion implied a “selective solidarity” excluding defence workers.