• Defend jobs
  • Fight for a pay rise
  • Stop the cuts
NSSN rally Sept 2018, photo Mary Finch

NSSN rally Sept 2018, photo Mary Finch   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Rob Williams, chair, National Shop Stewards Network

This year’s National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) conference takes place as the Tory crisis reaches a new stage with the resignation of Theresa May. But no Tory prime minister will act in the interests of workers.

We need a general election to get rid of them all, their vicious austerity and anti-union laws. And the labour and trade union movement must mobilise to fight for it.

We call on activists to join the biggest annual gathering of rank-and-file trade unionists. It is open to everyone in the labour and trade union and anti-cuts movements.

Hear from some of the biggest union struggles, some of which have achieved important and inspirational victories, such as the Glasgow equal pay strikers and the Birmingham bin and homecare workers.

We’re delighted to give a platform to the Swindon Honda shop stewards, who are fighting to save their plant from closure. There will also be militant union leaders addressing conference.

There are both challenges and victories in our movement that will be discussed. We give our full support and solidarity to the thousands of steelworkers who are facing the catastrophic threat of insolvency.

As with the Honda workers, we call for British Steel to be nationalised to save jobs and communities. The U-turn by the government over probation privatisation shows that workers can win.

Many workers continue to be in dispute every week and we continue to build solidarity for them. Victories show that when workers fight they can win and if all these struggles are coordinated we can beat the bosses, kick out the Tories and end austerity.

The NSSN was initiated by the RMT and its former general secretary the late Bob Crow in 2006. Ten national trade unions now officially support our campaigning work, as well as many union branches, shop stewards committees and trade union councils.

The NSSN’s annual conference is where hundreds of trade unionists and anti-cuts campaigners come together to discuss and debate how we take the fight forward in workplaces and share experiences on how the bosses can be pushed back.

Come and join the fightback.


NSSN 2019 conference

  • Saturday 6 July, 11am – 4.30pm
  • Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL
  • Pay on the day or you can send us a cheque: make out to ‘National Shop Stewards Network’ and post to NSSN, PO Box 54498, London E10 9DE. You can register in advance by [email protected]

shopstewards.net