Trade unions postpone annual congress ‘as a mark of respect’ to Queen

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Trade unions have postponed their annual congress "as a mark of respect" following the death of the Queen.

The conference – where unions were expected to rally support for industrial action to defend wages – had been due to take place in Brighton from Sunday 11 to 14 September.

But a spokesperson on Friday confirmed it had been postponed “until later this autumn”.

The decision comes after some unions, including those representing rail workers, cancelled strike days planned for this month.

“The General Council sends our condolences to the King and the Royal Family on the death of the Queen, and recognises her many years of dedicated service to the country," a TUC spokesperson said:

“As a mark of respect, we have decided to postpone Congress 2022 until later this autumn.”

The Communication Workers Union (CWU), Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT), and Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) have all called off strikes since the news of the monarch’s death broke on Thursday.

This years TUC conference is one of the most high profile in years because of increasing industrial action by workers over pay in recent months.