TUC issues call for radical shift in British economic policy

Delegates at this year’s TUC Congress in Brighton have agreed to push the government to adopt a ‘bolder and more radical’ economic agenda.

Two motions were passed today (September 14) which called for a significant shift in economic policy, including introducing a programme of mass insourcing, taking utilities into public ownership, and increasing investment in renewable energy.

The first motion, proposed by UNISON, seconded by the RMT and supported by the NUJ, TSSA, EIS, Equity and ASLEF called for outsourced services to be brought back in-house, ‘key utilities’ to be taken into public ownership, an ‘extensive package of financial support for households facing rising costs’, increased investment in renewable energy, expansion of public transport, and scheme of mass council housebuilding.

Alongside this, the motion called for the introduction of a digital services tax and a six per cent windfall tax on tech giants – the latter of which would be invested in the news sector. The motion also committed the TUC to commission research on how to deliver a more progressive taxation system.

The second motion – proposed by Unite – made a series of additional calls. That motion said that the TUC should campaign for an “ambitious industrial strategy to deliver good well-paid jobs and reindustrialise Britain”, an end to public sector austerity through taxing wealth, and a loosening of the government’s ‘fiscal rules’ to allow more direct investment in jobs.

The TUC has made these calls at an important political moment, with the government set to announce its budget in October.

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward