“People in the UK & around the world will not be safer because Britain owns F-35 fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear payloads, spends £15 billion on new submarine-launched warheads, or invests £6 billion in munitions.”
Regi Pilling, UCU NEC, looks at the context to the UCU’s “Wages not Weapons” motion at TUC Congress
UCU has submitted Motion 37, “Wages not Weapons”, to this year’s Congress. The motion calls for a reduction in defence spending and prioritising public services over weapons. The demand for “welfare, not warfare” has rarely been more urgent in recent history.
In the UK and across much of the world, wealth inequality has skyrocketed, particularly since Covid. There are now more billionaires than ever before, while working people and those unable to work have seen living standards fall, with many pushed into poverty.
It was no surprise that previous Conservative governments failed to prioritise welfare. Many, however, hoped that the arrival of a Labour government would bring change. Instead, Labour has attacked welfare and benefits—initially planning to cut £5 billion. Despite a partial U-turn, they have still forced through devastating cuts to disability support and Universal Credit. Reports estimate that 150,000 people will be pushed into poverty.
Labour claims these measures are necessary to plug a “black hole” in public spending. Yet at the same time, they have found billions for defence. The government uses the war in Ukraine as justification, arguing that the world is an increasingly dangerous place and that NATO obligations must be met. But the world is certainly not made safer by escalating weapons production or by following President Trump’s calls for increased military spending.
UCU’s motion is therefore vital to show the trade union movement’s resistance to this power-politics agenda.
It is also necessary to challenge existing TUC policy. In 2022, a motion from GMB, supported by Unite, called for increased defence spending and renewal of the UK’s nuclear submarine programme. The motion was narrowly passed, marking a sharp break from the TUC’s progressive history of supporting peace. Working people will never be safer in a world with more bombs and nuclear weapons. War divides us, and the war in Ukraine will not be solved with more weapons.
It was disappointing that parts of the trade union movement backed increased defence spending in 2022. It is even more alarming that they continue to do so in 2025. The war in Ukraine rages on despite billions spent and countless weapons deployed. Meanwhile, we witness the devastation of war in Palestine and Israel’s attempts to wipe out an entire people.
Here in the UK, instead of addressing the dire state of public services and living standards, Keir Starmer is ramping up the drive to war. In 2023–24, the UK spent £54 billion on defence, already 2.3% of GDP. The government has now brought forward the target of raising this to 2.5% by 2027—an extra £6 billion a year. In June, Starmer went further, pledging to spend 5% of GDP on “national security” by 2035. He declared that the UK is moving to “warfighting readiness,” creating a “battle-ready, armour-clad nation.”
But people in the UK and around the world will not be safer because Britain owns F-35 fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear payloads, spends £15 billion on new submarine-launched warheads, or invests £6 billion in munitions.
It is shameful that GMB and Unite continue to support this. Their argument—that defence spending protects jobs—is short-sighted and dangerous.
The claim that defence investment sustains the economy and funds public services is misleading. The arms industry is not “jobs-rich.” Investment in health, education, and green infrastructure would create far more employment, with greater social value.
The government has already hinted at “hard choices,” meaning that increased defence spending will mean cuts elsewhere. Workers in arms factories need the NHS, schools, and universities for their children, and welfare for their families just as much as anyone else.
The trade union movement must demand a just transition for arms industry workers. These highly skilled workers could be retrained to produce social goods instead of fuelling a war machine that kills other workers abroad.
At last year’s TUC Congress, a small but significant step was taken to challenge the 2022 policy. UCU successfully added a supportive amendment to a UNISON motion calling for a national plan for a just transition. The amendment also urged the government to taper defence spending and arms proliferation, with a transition into climate jobs for affected workers.
This year, it is vital that the trade union movement goes further. Congress must back the call for “wages not weapons” and fight for a society that benefits all.
The devastating impact of war is visible every day. We see the horrors in Palestine on the news. Mass national demonstrations have demanded a ceasefire and an end to genocide. Workers and trade unionists have been at the heart of these protests—they do not want more money spent on weapons.
The TUC must call on the government to redirect billions earmarked for defence into resolving the NHS crisis, repairing crumbling schools, ensuring disabled people can live with dignity, and building a society for all—not just for the rich.
It is very welcome that over 1,000 people have signed the petition supporting this motion, and that ten unions have already backed it.
- Check out the UCU’s Wages Not Weapons page here.
- Check out our Building a Fighting Left hard-copy bulletin, featuring Apsana Begum, Diane Abbott, Jess Barnard BFAWU and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which is out now at https://bit.ly/buildingafightingleft
- If you support Labour Outlook’s work amplifying the voices of left movements and struggles here and internationally, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon.
