First Tolpuddle Martyrs' festival in Dorset since pandemic

Organisers say the Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival is the "beating heart of the trade union movement"

Thousands of trade unionists will meet for the Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival for the first time since the pandemic.

Organisers are billing the Dorset event, amid rising inflation and a recent rail strike, as one of the most relevant yet to the UK's workforce.

Speakers include a Ukrainian journalist who will talk about workers' rights in Ukraine.

The festival celebrates the forming of the first trade union in 1834.

Headline acts include Billy Bragg and speakers including Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner.

Organiser Nigel Costley said: "It's a challenging period and even with the cost of living crisis we're getting a lot of public support.

"Tolpuddle is a place where people can come and recharge their batteries."

'100s of Mick Lynch's'

He also acknowledged the leadership of Mick Lynch who led the RMT union through the recent rail strike.

Mr Costley said: "Mr Lynch has been a star for his members, but there are 100s of Mick Lynch's representing ordinary working people who deserve to be seen and heard."

However, reaching the younger workforce was the movement's biggest challenge, "some don't even know what a trade union is" he said.

Mr Costley said the festival was more relevant today than ever, "the Tolpuddle Martyrs were the gig economy workers of the 1800s" because they were only employed when needed.

The festival will also hear from Ukrainian journalist Serhii Guz who was granted a visa to join his family here in the UK as a result of a medical exemption from fighting.

He will discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine and workers' rights there.

"Our government cancelled some labour rights a year ago.

" We have a government that supports free market economic liberalism which sees trade unionism like something from the old Soviet Union and it doesn't like it," Mr Guz said.

The festival runs for three days from Friday through to Sunday.