TUC Congress votes unanimously to reaffirm solidarity with Ukraine

** Please donate to help cover the costs of Ivanna Khrapko and Khrystyna Levchenko’s visits to the UK and our campaigning around TUC Congress here **

On 16 September TUC Congress, the conference representing the vast majority of trade union members in the UK, voted unanimously for the motion from the National Union of Mineworkers demanding freedom for the imprisoned Zaporizhzhia nuclear workers and reaffirming UK union solidarity with Ukraine.

The TUC vote for the Ukraine solidarity policy in 2023 was about 87% to 3%, with the rest abstaining. Since then however a series of unions have debated the issue at their conferences and, under pressure from activists, adopted pro-Ukraine positions.

In the run up to this year’s Congress 22 trade union General Secretaries wrote to the UK government calling for it to press to free the Zaporizhzhia workers.

The Congress was attended by Ivanna Khrapko, Vice President of the State Employees Union of Ukraine and chair of the Youth Council of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine, who met many UK union officers and activists during her visit.

Ivanna was the special guest speaker at our well attended Congress fringe meeting, which also heard from TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak among others.

She was also in the UK in August, with Khrystyna Levchenko, a representative of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear workers from the Atomprofspilka union. (See Khrystyna’s presentation at a public meeting they spoke at in London here.) They met a wide variety of trade union reps and activists, including from the UK nuclear indusry.

You can watch speeches at TUC Congress supporting the NUM motion here (from 2:10:30 into the recording).

For our four page bulletin distributed at the Congress, see here.

The new TUC vote, which is the result of determination by trade unionists across the country, should provide a stronger and broader platform for solidarity campaigning. If you want more information or to get more involved, get in touch: info@ukrainesolidaritycampaign.org

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Motion to TUC Congress 2026: Solidarity with Ukrainian workers

National Union of Mineworkers

Congress condemns the detention and abuse of workers at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine by Russian occupation forces.

The occupiers have attempted to coerce workers into accepting Russian citizenship and new contracts. Of the 11,000 workers who operated the plant before occupation, only 3,000 remain.

At least 1,000 workers have endured psychological abuse and torture.

Fourteen workers, members of the Atomprofspilka union, have been abducted, subjected to show trials, and sentenced to prison terms of up to 25 years on fabricated charges, held in inhuman conditions.

Congress believes the persecution of ZNPP workers is a deliberate component of Russia’s murderous war against the Ukrainian people, which has targeted and killed thousands of civilians, including workers in the energy, mining, health, education, rail, fire and rescue and other sectors. Free trade unions in occupied areas have been suppressed.

Congress notes the appeals of our sister federations FPU and KVPU for global labour movement solidarity and for support for Ukraine’s struggle.

Congress reaffirms its support for Ukraine’s fight for self-determination and applauds the resistance of the Ukrainian people to the reactionary and authoritarian order sought by Putin and assisted by Trump.

Congress instructs the General Council to:

i. continue campaigning in solidarity with Ukraine and its workers, in line with 2023 Congress policy

ii. campaign for the release of the detained ZNPP workers

iii. work within the ETUC and ITUC to highlight the plight of all workers in Russian occupied Ukrainian territory and strengthen international trade union action.