Reps gather for Prospect National Conference 2026 to ‘Make Rights Real’
More than 400 reps from across Prospect, including the Bectu sector, have gathered in Brighton for the union’s biennial National Conference, which will set the policies and priorities for the next two years.
Across several days of Conference business, from 6-9 June at the Brighton Centre, delegates will hear from guest speakers, take part in fringe meetings, and debate dozens of motions submitted by branches that, if carried, will be officially adopted.
The motions cover areas as diverse as health and safety; equality; pay and employment; public policy; union rules and practices; the climate crisis; recruitment and organisation and much more.
In his remarks to Conference to present the Annual Report, Mike Clancy, Prospect General Secretary, began by praising the vital work our members do across all areas of the economy and society.
“One of the privileges of being your General Secretary is that you come to understand the thousands of ways that our members make this country work. Just look at some of the major headlines in recent months. Bringing the Bayeux tapestry to Britain — our members; making a new Harry Potter series — our members; getting Heathrow back up and running after major power outage — our members; scrambling HMS Dragon to respond to the war in Middle East — our members.”
However, it was our reps in particular who were singled out.
“Prospect members keep Britain running, but it is Prospect reps that keep this union running. Reps who lead negotiations with employers and settle disputes, who handle cases and support their colleagues, and reps who lead recruitment drives and bring in new members. So, to all the reps in the room I want to say one thing: thank you.”
Make Rights Real
The Conference theme is to ‘Make Rights Real’, a reference to the Employment Rights Act 2025, which Mike said was the ‘biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation’
He added, “We are proud of the role we played in shaping it. But rights only matter if we use them.
“The new rights on access and recognition give us the best chance we will ever have to rebuild the trade union movement in the private sector. For Prospect it means deepening our density and cementing our bargaining power in every branch.”
However, Mike also warned that the window of opportunity could also be a small one, with the possibility of a ‘very different kind of government… that wouldn’t stop at repealing the Employment Rights Act, but would launch an all-out assault on trade unions.’
A winning union
Making reference to the Annual Report, Mike said that our membership figure, as of the end of 2025, was 162,174 — the largest that Prospect has ever been, and bucking the trend for trade union membership across the country as a whole.
“As anyone who has ever organised a ballot will tell you, trade unionism is a numbers game… The fact that we are a winning union and a growing union are not separate facts, they are inextricably linked. We are winning because we are growing, and we are growing because we are winning.”
A large part of Prospect’s success, said Mike, was our unique culture, one that wasn’t in a ‘constant destructive war against every employer’ and a ‘union that isn’t riven by toxic factionalism.’
Fringe meetings
Over Sunday and the Monday, there will also be lunchtime fringe sessions featuring guest panellists across a variety of issues for the delegates to engage with. They include:
Sunday
- Collective Defined Contribution schemes
- AI: Taking back control
- Climate crisis: unions working to ensure a just transition
- Digital Prospect
- Young Workers’ Manifesto
Monday
- Making work family friendly
- Role of unions in preventing the health at work crisis
- Tackling the far right
- Immigration system reform: the trade union view
New National Executive Committee
At the close of Conference, on 9 June, the newly elected members of Prospect’s National Executive Committee will formally take up their roles and duties.
The NEC is tasked with ensuring that the union is managed and run in accordance with the policies set by National Conference.
See more about the work of the NEC here and about the election of the new NEC here.
Members can download the Annual Report and the Conference Agenda, which includes all the motions up for debate, from the Prospect and Bectu Libraries.
Prospect Members:
Bectu Members: