Trade unions have signalled their continued and strong support for Heathrow expansion at the Trade Union Congress (TUC) annual congress in Manchester this week.

The TUC is the umbrella organisation for the country’s trade unions, representing nearly 6 million workers.

Delegates from unions across the UK attend Congress each year to raise issues for discussion and debate for the coming year.

Executive director Parmjit Dhanda said, “We could not have won the argument for a new runway in Parliament without strong backing from trade unions like Unite and the GMB. The TUC’s resolute support has been underpinned by the need for quality, unionised jobs and apprenticeships, for our country and the local community.”

“It’s great to be here in Manchester alongside TUC Deputy General Secretary, Paul Nowak, to hear him reiterate the TUC’s support on expansion at Heathrow. But we’re also here to commit to work together to ensure that the commitments made are delivered in full, as set out this week by Lord Blunkett, Chair of the Heathrow Skills Taskforce.”

Paul Nowak (left) and Parmjit Dhanda (right) at the TUC Congress on Monday night 

Speaking at the event, Mr Nowak said: “Aviation matters in this country, it’s an industry worth £52 billion a year and a million jobs in our aviation industry - many of them good quality, unionised jobs.

“We want to see a successful, thriving aviation industry in our country and a successful, thriving Heathrow. It matters to the local community, but it matters right across the UK as well. We know that expansion at Heathrow will result in jobs not just in the local community but right across all the regions and nations of the UK.

“As we move to build the third runway, we want to do it in a way where we’re working in partnership with Heathrow. We want to make sure this project is built on time, on budget, in a way that maximises the benefits for the UK supply chain and that gives us the best quality employment support, as well as good quality apprenticeships for our young people.

“We want to see this project be the underpinnings of really good quality employment at Heathrow and beyond.”