WORKERS must be better protected from future economic shocks caused by further pandemics, the climate crisis and technological disruption, the TUC will warn today.

In her keynote speech to the union confederation’s annual congress, being held virtually from September 12-14, general secretary Frances O’Grady is set to demand action from Tory ministers on the “rampant insecurity” faced by workers.

Ms O’Grady, who represents Britain’s six million trade union members, will also challenge Prime Minister Boris Johnson to finally make good on his “levelling-up” pledges after years of wage stagnation, public service cuts and underinvestment in regions outside south-east England.

Addressing trade unionists across the country, Ms O’Grady is set to warn that “Covid is not going to be a one-off. 

“Years of austerity took their toll and meant we fought this pandemic with one hand tied behind our backs.

“The UK must be better prepared for crises in the future, and they’re coming. Climate chaos is here already and the longer we put off getting to net zero, the more disruptive it will be.”

Ms O’Grady is due to reiterate calls for a just transition to a greener economy, warning that “new tech offers new opportunities but also poses old threats to jobs — and the market will not save us.

“In an age of anxiety, working people are crying out for security. We must build an economy that can withstand the shocks, rather than reeling from every fresh crisis that unleashes rampant insecurity and inequality anew.”

She is also set to demand action on supply chain staff shortages, exacerbated by the PM’s botched handling of Brexit and the coronavirus crisis.

“Ministers may scratch their heads about how to fill vacancies,” her remarks say. “Well, here’s a novel idea — let’s make that industry deliver decent conditions, direct employment and a proper pay rise.

“The biggest threat we face is low demand. And the way to fix low demand is to pay higher wages.

“Because working people don’t hoard what they earn in offshore tax havens — they spend their wages in local high streets, and that’s what drives the real economy.”

Ms O’Grady is set to warn that Mr Johnson’s “levelling-up” agenda means nothing if public-sector pay remains at such low levels, and that his plans to cancel the temporary £20-per-week uplift to universal credit will plunge millions into even deeper poverty.

“I have a challenge for the Prime Minister,” she will say. “If levelling up means anything, it must mean levelling up at work and levelling up living standards.

“Covid must be a catalyst for real change. We need an economy that treats everyone with dignity, that rewards hard work, that helps working families and communities thrive.

“This is the true test of levelling up.”

Ms O’Grady’s intervention comes as Labour calls for workers to be put first in any future post-Brexit trade deal.

In a special report published at the TUC Congress yesterday, the party commits a future Labour government to giving MPs a vote on the objectives of trade negotiations.

Under the plans, drawn up in consultation with unions, ministers would also be obliged to mitigate any negative effects of trade deals on employment.

The report also backs guarantees to protect the NHS from any future deals, as well as measures to block deals with countries that abuse human rights.

Shadow international trade secretary Emily Thornberry said: “We must start with a trade policy that will create decent, well-paid jobs here at home [and] raise standards around the world.

“The government may be wasting the opportunity they have been given to reshape our trade policy as a force for good, but Labour is ready to fill that void,” she added.

TUC trade lead Rosa Crawford said: “It’s time the government adopted a worker-first approach by negotiating deals in the interest of working people and allowing proper scrutiny of trade negotiations.”