As I write this piece, the Trades Council has just said its farewells to our late presid­ent, Tommy Anderson, at his well-attended funeral, and a tribute at the Waltham Forest Community Hub, one of the charities Tommy assisted. Most of the report was written before his sad passing in January 2025, but we felt that his role in the trade union movement should be marked in the annual report.

Tommy, a proud Glaswegian, spent most of his working life in London, working on refuse and street cleansing teams in a number of London boroughs. He joined the Transport & General Workers Union, one of Unite’s legacy unions, and was acquain­ted with Tommy Douras, who later became a T&G full-time officer.

He came to Waltham Forest around 2005, and joined the TGWU branch, having briefly been in the GMB. He became a shop steward on street cleansing, where most significantly, he led the famous protest against Single Status wage reductions.… Read on ...

We regret to announce that our friend and comrade, Stan Newens, has passed away.
Here is an appreciation of Stan written by his friend Jeremy Corbyn:

Stan Newens – Lifelong campaigner for internationalism and justice
It is so sad to hear of the death of Stan Newens, former MP, MEP, and lifelong campaigner for internationalism, justice, and the people of his former constituencies of Epping, Harlow, and then Central London (MEP).
I first met Stan in 1970 when he was campaigning for Labour in Shropshire, and I got to know him very well as one of the leading lights of the London Cooperative society, then as Chair of Liberation, and much later as the Member of the European Parliament for Central London, which included Islington North.
Stan was born in the East End and was a conscientious objector against National Service in the 1940s and was thus sent to work in a coalmine in North Staffordshire.… Read on ...