Solidarity Across Land Trades (SALT) is an emerging trade union organising to support workers from agriculture, conservation, and other land-based trades. It is the only union of its kind in the UK. Leaders and workers from this growing worker-led movement met for the first time at this industry event. The event’s aims were to build connections between workers in this emerging trade union movement, to bolster the unions’ membership and to support them to consider their next steps as a union. The event was at full capacity, with 45 workers attending. Since the event, two new members have been recruited onto the co-ordinating group from the attendees present, an initial campaign to create and distribute a pamphlet on workers’ rights is being coordinated, and SALT has decided to affiliate with the Bakers and Allied Workers’ Union, forming a sector branch.

There were five workshops on the day. These sessions included a workshop explaining land worker struggles across the world inviting the attendees to draw connections between these movements and SALT, a session explaining employment rights to workers in a variety of informal work scenarios, a workshop on how to agitate for change in your workplace, a campaign strategy group, and a collaborative magazine making session for SALT to distribute after the event. Attendees met afterwards for an evening social at the local venue the Miners’ Arms.