FBU at Labour Party Conference 2024

It was an honour for me to speak on your behalf at Labour Conference and to stand up for our profession. We had an action packed week where we made clear to the Government that we were there to represent the interests of firefighters, trade unionists and the whole working class. 

On Tuesday 24th we delivered our motion on Grenfell. We worked with colleagues across the labour movement and passed our motion. It called for an end to the impunity of private contractors and would make central government responsible for fire safety. You can watch my speech on Grenfell here.

I joined with Daniel Kebede, National Education Union General Secretary, to raise awareness about the upcoming Stand Up To Racism demonstration on 26 October. It is the duty of trade unionists like us to fight racism, fascism and the far right wherever they raise their ugly heads. You can watch our message here. I also discussed this at the FBU and LabourList fringe event on Wednesday speaking about the excellent work of our union to fight the far right.

I also spoke at the Socialist Campaign Group rally and CLPD rally. I am proud that our union takes the position that it is not just enough to tell Labour what we want, we must participate in the process of building a better future. 

Last of all, I delivered my final address as Trade Union Congress (TUC) President to Labour’s Conference Hall. I wanted to share that with you and you can click here to watch it. I am only the second FBU General Secretary to hold the position in the TUC’s 156 year history and I am proud to have had this chance to represent you in our movement in this way.

I also wanted to congratulate Unite the Union on winning their motion on Winter Fuel Allowance, we were proud to support them on such an important issue. It shows that as a labour movement we are united. We will not accept cuts or austerity, we will campaign for better.