On Tuesday 24 March 2026 we will be talking about Trade Unions.

It’s difficult to know whether trade unions are part of the problem or part of the solution these days.

Many workers will still see their trade union as an important line of defence in the workplace – representing them in wage negotiations, ensuring health and safety requirements are met, defending their rights  and representing them in cases where they have individual grievances against an employer.

But others now feel abandoned by union officials who are firmly entrenched in the lanyard class and have failed to defend workers’ free speech rights, abandoned women forced to share single sex spaces with men and sneered at their many members who opted to vote Reform rather than Labour.

With union membership now below 6.5m and concentrated in public services, utilities and transport, are unions now relevant for the majority of ordinary workers? And with membership concentrated in professional occupations, are unions like the BMA now holding ordinary workers to ransom? Are the new, unaffiliated unions for delivery and hospitality workers a light on the horizon? And is the new interest in getting back to workplace basics, a return to a progressive role for unions?

This topic will be introduced by Hilary Salt, Manchester Coordinator of the Social Democratic Party.  She organises members locally and is standing in the May elections in the Sale Central ward in Trafford.  Previously Hilary was a co-Founder of First Actuarial where she worked extensively with trade unions on pensions issues including supporting the CWU in negotiating the groundbreaking new collective defined contribution scheme with Royal Mail.”

Come and join the discussion

You are warmly invited to join us at the Welcome Inn, Bury Old Road, Whitefield, Manchester M45 6TA for our next meeting at 7:30pm on Tuesday 24 March 2026.  This is a free event.  All are welcome.

See here for location.

Upcoming events

Many of us will be attending Battle of Ideas North on Saturday 7th March, 10am to 6pm, a day of debate on politics, economics, culture wars and more as the Battle of Ideas festival returns north!

You can find out more here.

Use PIP-BN26 to get your discount as a PiPs supporter.

All our future events are advertised here: Upcoming Events.