Two member led-motions received huge support and were passed at this year's Trades Union Congress Conference, in Brighton.
Members Abby Pearson, Sharon Noonan-Gunning and Cherry Mo attended alongside Sonila Ellahi, Director of BDA Trade Union and Employee Relations, and Jordan Creed, BDA Trade Union Organising and Campaigns Officer. Together, they represented the BDA and wider dietetic workforce on issues impacting our members.
Let's take a look at the motions:
1. Making the right to food a reality
Our first motion was submitted by the BDA's London Branch and was titled ‘Right to Food Commission – A public system, not charity: Reinvesting in food and nutrition security’.
The motion was created in collaboration with the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU), who moved the motion. It was seconded by member Abby Pearson, who gave special thanks to Sharon Noonan-Gunning for putting the motion together.
In response to the carried motion, Congress shared the following:
Congress notes the vital work of the Right to Food Commission in developing a comprehensive roadmap to end food poverty across the UK by 2035.
Congress recognises that, in one of the world’s wealthiest economies, millions of people continue to experience food insecurity, including many in work. No worker should be forced to choose between heating their home, paying their bills or putting food on the table.
Congress believes the trade union movement has a central role to play in making the right to food a reality by campaigning for policies that address the root causes of food poverty through decent work, fair wages, strong social security and universal access to affordable, nutritious food.
The BDA General & Education Trust (GET) helped to fund research that contributed to this successful motion. Learn more in the video below.
2. The dietetic support workforce is an essential part of the NHS workforce
Our second motion was written by one of our union representatives Sam McConkey and was titled ‘Improving working conditions and recognition for the dietetic support workforce’.
We welcomed input from from the Society of Radiographers ahead of its release, which led to it covering the support workforce in all allied health professions (AHPs), rather than solely dietetic support workers.
Sonila moved the motion and spoke about how the AHP support workforce is underpaid and the need for better career frameworks and planning for this workforce. Katie Thompson, former President of the Society of Radiographers, seconded the motion.
The motion called for the following actions:
a. Remove barriers to career progression by improving access to career planning and implementing UK-wide career development frameworks for the AHP support workforce
b. Promote fair pay for all AHPs using existing Agenda for Change pathways, including job evaluation, and ensure equal pay for work of equal value in line with legal and contractual requirements
c. Ensure the AHP support workforce is recognised in workforce planning, supported by robust workforce data to better understand their deployment, contribution and impact
d. Invest in career progression pathways for the dietetic support workforce, including routes into registered dietitian roles, through apprenticeships and other higher education opportunities
You can watch the full conference speech below.
Reflections from the conference
Attending the conference offered a fantastic opportunity to raise the profile of the profession. We met with other trade unions, AHP groups and political representatives to champion our campaigns, share priorities and to build relationships to amplify the influence of the dietetic workforce.
It provided a valuable opportunity to learn about future changes to trade union voting and member engagement, how to build an anti-racist workplace and to hear from reps across the movement about their experiences of workplace representation.
The conference highlighted shared experiences between BDA members and other union members regarding workload, funding and pressure. The connections made throughout the conference will help strengthen the BDA’s voice within the trade union movement and support our work on the issues that matter most to members.
Dr Sharon Noonan-Gunning (left), Apsana Begum MP (middle), Sonila Ellahi (right)
Dr Sharon Noonan-Gunning, BDA member and conference attendee, said, “It’s a privilege to be a first time visitor to the TUC Conference. It was great to experience the feeling of power, solidarity and collective will for a better world.”
Abby Pearson (left) and Sonila Ellahi (right)
Abby Pearson, member of the BDA London Branch, said, “It’s a privilege to be representing the BDA at the 2026 TUC Conference to uplift our dietetic voice within the trade union movement!
“Hearing other delegates share similar demands brings hope we can drive meaningful change – because unity works!”
Sonila Ellahi (left) and Cherry Mo (right)
Cherry Mo, BDA Trade Union Representative, said, “It’s interesting to see how many of the challenges we face in dietetics and the NHS, like funding pressures and increasing workloads, are also being felt in other sectors such as education. There’s a real sense of solidarity here, which really reflects this year’s Unity Works theme!”
What's next?
Now that both motions have been passed, our proposals become official TUC policy, backed by 47 affiliated trade unions representing 5.5 million workers across the UK. We look forward to working with the TUC to put them into action.
If you would like to get more involved in our work as a union, please contact [email protected] and we would be happy to have a chat with you.
Help us build a better future for the dietetic workforce. We are stronger together.
