“Always a highlight in the Trades Union Congress calendar.” That’s how TUC general secretary Paul Nowak described the Durham Miners’ Gala after another memorable and emotional event last weekend.

Despite the best efforts of the wet weather, thousands turned out for the annual celebration and firm fixture since 1871, with this year’s edition the first to take place against the backdrop of a Labour government for 15 years.

Durham city’s streets were once again lined with crowds of all ages as communities came together to mark the 40th anniversary of the miners’ strike.

According to Nowak, everything was dampened… apart from spirits.

“The atmosphere was incredible in the city itself, considering the weather,” he said. “For us it’s about honouring the history of the Labour movement. We’re not pretending that the election result changes things overnight, but there was a sense of opportunity in the air, to put right some of the wrongs in the last 14 years.”

The gala, he said, was also about its roots in the history of the region’s mining communities — particularly in the midst of such an emotive anniversary.

“The pits may not be working anymore, but that institutional memory runs deep in those communities, and it’s an important part of what makes those communities tick,” said the 52-year-old Merseysider.

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“It’s a celebration of trade unionism and solidarity, and that was the word I heard constantly over the course of the weekend: solidarity.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re organising in an Amazon warehouse, you’re on strike in a job centre because your outsourced boss won’t give you a pay rise, or you’re a young shop worker in Durham – there’s a sense of people standing together.”

Also heartening for Nowak was the number of young people in attendance, as he freely admitted the history of trade unions is ‘not the sort of thing that gets taught in schools’.

“When I joined the union at 17, my dad had been a union member, my mum had been a union member, and that was part and parcel of what you did when you went to work,” he said. 

“For kids growing up now, their parents won’t have been union members and they’ll be going into non-union sectors. So this is about connecting that generation with the previous generations that went before. The gala does that.

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“It heartens me every year when you see young people taking part. It’s not just balding white blokes like myself — it genuinely feels like it hits across the generations. Part of preparing yourself for the struggles of the future is always remembering your history.”

In the days that followed, Nowak, who has been TUC general secretary since December 2022, turned his attention to Westminster as King Charles III laid out the government’s legislative plans at the State Opening of Parliament.

While the speech was ‘what he expected’, it also delivered on what he called ‘the key things that matter to union members’. 

“All the speculation in the run-up to the election was about whether Labour would water down its commitment on rights for workers and unions,” he said, “but that absolutely wasn’t the case. 

“They delivered in full, and set out very clearly what that means in terms of zero-hours contracts, ending fire and rehire, day one employment rights and repealing legislation that acts as a brake on unions. 

“I was very pleased. In terms of Labour putting a down payment on the commitments it made to the British public at the election, they absolutely, 100 per cent hit the mark.

“My job and our union’s job is to represent workers, and the government’s job is to govern on behalf of the whole country. I think we’re definitely pulling in the same direction on the big issues.”