Motion Passed: London Peace Conference resolution  

Passed at the UoB UNISON AGM on 24/03/26

University of Bristol Unison notes  

  1. The success of the Paris Peace conference held on the 4/5 October 2025 which attracted 4,000 people and delegates from 18 different countries.  
  2. The considerable involvement of the French trade unions in mobilising for and assisting in the finance of the conference and the presence of trade union representatives from across Europe at the conference.  
  3. That the conference emphasised opposition to renewed arms spending and the consequent attack on workers’ living standards that this requires across Europe. 
  4. That the conference amplified the voices of the Palestine solidarity movement. 
  5. The enthusiastic response of the conference to the speech of the General Secretary of the PCS and Stop the War officers. 
  6. That the aims of the conference are supportive of the positions taken at last years TUC in favour of ‘wages not weapons’ and support for the Palestine movement. 
  7. That a second European conference announced in Paris is planned for Central Hall Westminster, London, on 20 June 2026.   

University of Bristol Unison believes  

  1. That this is an initiative wholly in line with the TUC resolution on ‘wages not weapons’. 
  2. That in a darkening international situation and in the face of the growth of the far right across Europe it is necessary to broaden and deepen international links between trade unionists, anti-war movements, and progressive forces.
  3. That the London conference held under the banner of ‘The People of Europe Demand Peace’, and the slogans ‘Wages not Weapons’, and ‘Welfare not Warfare’ deserves the support of trade unions in the UK.
  4. Universities have been some of the most prominent in terms of workplace days of action for Palestine. Many of us are driven by internationalist, anti-imperialist and anti-colonial values, which can manifest in syllabus and research 
  5. The current funding model in Higher Education is reliant on retaining peace and the international recruitment of students. It’s in our material interests to support internationalist, anti-imperialist and anti-colonial initiatives  

University of Bristol Unison resolves  

  1. To encourage our members to attend the conference. To encourage branches and regions to send delegates and make financial donations to assist in the building of the conference.
  2. To offer leading union officers as speakers at the conference. 
  3. To make a donation of £100 towards the conference costs and £100 towards the transport costs for a delegation from Bristol. 
  4. To assist in the production and circulation of material advertising the conference. 
  5. To publicise and support the conference in the wider trade union movement.   

Mover: Nathan Street, Branch Secretary (nathan.street@bristol.ac.uk) 

Seconder: Eleni Vagia, International Officer (eleni.vagia@bristol.ac.uk)