Paul Nowak – ‘Why the Big Meeting continues to matter’

More than 200,000 trade unionists and their supporters from across Britain and around the world will gather in Durham for the 140th Durham Miners’ Gala – the Big Meeting.

For 140 years the Gala has been far more than a parade or a festival.

It is a living reminder of where working people have come from, what they have endured and what they have achieved when they stand together.

When the first Gala was held in 1871, miners came together to demonstrate the strength that comes from collective action and to celebrate a shared struggle for dignity, fair pay, and decent working conditions.

(Image: DMA)

They understood a simple truth that remains as powerful today as it was then.

Alone, working people can be ignored but together they can change society.

That is why the Big Meeting continues to matter.

It has grown into one of the largest celebrations of working-class solidarity anywhere in the world.

It is a chance to honour those who came before us – the miners, trade unionists, and campaigners who fought for rights many now take for granted.

But it is also about the future and what kind of country we want to build.

(Image: STUART BOLTON)

This has been a landmark year for the trade union movement.

Labour’s Employment Rights Act – fought for and won through years of union campaigning – represents the biggest strengthening of workers’ rights in a generation.

It is already improving lives.

Millions of workers now have access to sick pay from day one.

The injustice of fire and rehire has been outlawed.

Exploitative zero-hours contracts are being tackled through a new right to a contract that reflects the hours employees regularly work.

These are not abstract policy reforms.

They are real changes that mean more security for families, more dignity at work, and greater confidence about the future.

They mean fewer workers having to choose between their health and their pay packet and fewer people living with constant uncertainty about how much they will earn from one week to the next.

After more than a decade of stagnant wages, insecure work, and falling living standards, these changes are long overdue.

Because Britain needs an economy that works for working people – not one that serves only those at the top.

Yet we must also recognise that many people still feel frustrated, anxious, and left behind.

Across the country, communities have seen industries disappear, public services come under strain, and opportunities become harder to find.

(Image: STUART BOLTON)

People understandably feel the system – and politics – has stopped working for them.

In that environment, it is no surprise that opportunists seek to exploit people’s anger.

Figures on the far right present themselves as champions of ordinary workers while enjoying the backing of wealthy donors and powerful interests.

They offer easy targets and simple slogans – but they have no answers to the real challenges facing working people.

The trade union movement offers a different path.

Where others seek to divide, we bring people together.

Where others encourage resentment, we build solidarity.

We know that the interests workers share are far greater than the differences between them.

And we know that every major advance in living standards, rights, and protections has come not from division – but from collective action.

The Gala’s main focus this year is the celebration of working-class unity.

It could not be more fitting.

As a former TUC Regional Secretary for the North East, I saw first-hand the generosity, resilience, and decency that define this region.

I saw people supporting one another in their workplaces and communities.

I saw solidarity not as a slogan, but as a way of life.

At a time when our country feels increasingly polarised, that spirit matters more than ever.

The challenges facing Britain are real.

But if the history of the Durham Miners’ Gala teaches us anything, it is that progress has never come from people standing apart.

It comes from people standing together.

That was true in 1871.

It remains true today.

So to everyone gathering in Durham this weekend: celebrate proudly, remember those who came before us, and enjoy a fantastic Big Meeting.

Most of all, remember this: unity works.

It always has.

And it always will.