The Workers Beer Company is the only operator of festival bars owned by the trade union movement.

In 2009 Workers Beer Company had its most successful season ever which arose from the helpful combination of internal restructuring and wise investment decisions by the Management Committee. This followed on from our least successful year ever in 2008 where we lost very substantial sums of money and were forced into the internal re-structuring of the organisation. Working with our recognised trade union UNITE, the management committee of the Workers Beer Company emerged from this crisis last year fighting fit and ready for the next 25 years.

Almost £500,000 was raised by over 3,000 volunteers sent by their trade union branches and campaign groups in 2009. On top of this the profits from the year helped Battersea and Wandsworth Trades Union Council to develop its work organising and campaigning for working people in South London.

Any money left over from 2009 has been ploughed back into securing contracts for major festivals in 2010 to keep the income flowing to our server organisations for another year. As a result we have one of our busiest years ever coming up and we urge our comrades, sisters and brothers from our server organisations to let us know as soon as they can where and when they would like to raise money this year.

All in all over the last 25 years our volunteer servers have raised over £5 million for their own causes by pulling pints in WBC bars at every major music festival in the UK. The Workers Beer Company is the only operator of festival bars owned by the trade union movement. We exist to help the labour movement raise funds and campaign. Every £1 spent in our bars goes a long way towards building a better world.

Over 200 trade union branches, trade union campaigns, and socialist, solidarity, peace and justice campaigning groups are registered to raise money in our bars. Last year the following groups were among some of those who sent volunteers, raised money with us and spent it on their work:

Abortion Rights: Carrying on the fight for a womans’ right to choose.

Advisory service for squatters: Helping the homeless to take direct action and highlighting the scandal of homes lying empty while rough sleepers get arrested.

Anti-Slavery International: Highlighting the way modern capitalism continues to find ways to put people into bonded labour and slavery and campaigning in solidarity with exploited and vulnerable workers across the world.

ATL: Organising working people in schools and colleges into the union to protect themselves and secure better working conditions

Barnet Trades Union Council: Helping working people in the Borough of Barnet build their unions and campaign for decent working conditions, justice and respect at work.

BECTU: Organising people working in the Broadcasting and performing industries into the union to protect themselves and secure better working conditions

Bolton Trades Union Council: Helping working people in the Bolton build their unions and campaign for decent working conditions, justice and respect at Work, campaigning against the attacks on unemployed workers and helping unemployed workers get their rights.

Bracknell Labour Party: Campaigning to keep the Tories out in Braknell

Burnley Labour Party: Campaigning to keep the Tories out in Burnley

Camberwell and Peckham Labour Party: Campaigning to keep the Tories out in South East London

CND: Campaigning against the spread of nuclear weapons

Communist Party of Britain: Campaigning for peace, justice, socialism and the emancipation of the working class.

Community Trade Union: Organising working people to join their union and campaign for better working conditions.

Connect: Organising professional working people to build their union to protect themselves at work

Construction Safety Campaign: Campaigning for fewer deaths and injuries on building sites

CWU: Organising postal workers to join their union and continue the campaign for a publicly funded postal service with decent working conditions.

Coventry Labour Party: Campaigning to keep the Tories out of Coventry

Corporate Watch: highlighting corruption, fraud and mis-management of global corporations

Cuba Solidarity Campaign: campaigning to support the people of Cuba

Deal West Labour Party: campaigning to keep the Tories out of Deal

Education not for sale: Campaigning for free public education free from corporate influence.

FBU: Organising firefighters to build their union, campaign against cuts and secure better working conditions

FDA: Organising senior civil servants to build their union and protect their working conditions

Feminist Fightback: Campaigning for a greater feminist outlook in society.

Globalise Resistance: Campaigning against the effects of global capitalism.

GMB: Organising working people in a wide range of industries to build their union, protect themselves and secure better working conditions.

Green Party: campaigning for policies to address climate change

Holborn and St Pancras Labour Party: Campaigning to keep the Tories out of Central London

Ipswich May Day: promoting and celebrating International Workers Day in Suffolk.

Iraq Union Solidarity: Offering direct support and solidarity to sisters and brothers in Iraq

Jubilee Debt Campaign: Campaigning to cancel the debt in the developing world.

Justice for Columbia: Supporting trades unionists, campaigners and democrats in Columbia

Labour behind the Label: Campaigning against sweatshop labour in major brands

Labour Students: campaigning for Labour Party values within the student community.

Lewisham Anti Racist Action Group – campaigning against racism in South East London

League Against Cruel Sports: Campaigning to protect and enforce the ban on hunting with hounds and tighten the law further.

London Feminist Network: Promoting womens’ perspectives and issues across the capital

London Joint Sites Committee: Direct union organisation on London’s building sites

London Organisers Network: Building a network of union organisers across London to promote solidarity, co-operation and unity between unions

Louvaine Area Residents Association: Campaigning for the rights of local residents of Battersea.

Marx Memorial Library: Archiving, recording and publishing the history of the working class movement for future generations

Medway Trades Union Council: Helping people on the Medway build their unions and campaign for a better deal at work

Merseyside Hazards and Environmental Centre: Campaigning for safer workplaces and better working conditions across Merseyside.

NAPO: Organising Probation Officers to build their union, protect themselves and secure better working conditions.

NASUWT: organising teachers to build their union, protect themselves and secure better working conditions

National Assembly Against Racism: Continuing the fight against the fascist BNP and the racial attacks their campaigning produces.

NUJ: Organising journalists to build their union to protect themselves and secure better working conditions.

NUS: Organising students to build their union and get active in campaigning for better funded Higher Education.

NUT: organising teachers to build their union, protect themselves and secure better working conditions

Oxfam: Campaigning for poverty relief and highlighting the causes of hunger and disease in the developing world.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign: Campaigning to highlight the effects of the blockade and for justice for the Palestinian people

PCS: Organising civil servants to build their union, secure better working conditions and campaign for better public services.

PROSPECT: organising professional public sector staff to build their union and protect themselves.

RMT: Organising rail workers to build their union and campaign for a properly funded public rail system with decent working conditions.

South Heaton Labour Party: Campaigning to keep the Tories out of South Heaton

Sri Lanka TU Solidarity: campaigning for solidarity and support to sisters and brothers in Sri Lanka

St Helens Labour Party: Campaigning to keep the Tories out of St Helens

Student Action for Refugees: campaigning for the rights of refugees in the UK

Tooting Labour Party: Campaigning to keep the Tories out of Tooting.

Tourism Concern: Campaigning to raise awareness of the impact of tourism in supporting oppressive regimes.

TSSA: Organising transport workers to build their union and campaign for a better deal at work

UCU: Organising university and college staff to build their union, protect themselves and secure better working conditions

UNISON: Organising local government and health service workers to build their union, secure better working conditions and to campaign for better funded public services.

UNITE: Organising working people across industries to build their union and secure better working conditions.

USDAW: Organising shop workers to build their union, protect themselves and secure better working conditions

War on Want: campaigning to highlight the causes of poverty in the developing world and to alleviate it.

Water Aid: Campaigning for the right for clean safe drinking water for all

Wells Labour Party: Campaigning to keep the Tories out of Wells

Wimbledon Labour Party: Campaigning to keep the Tories out of Wimbledon

Wolverhampton and Bilston Trades Union Council: Helping local people build their unions and campaign for a better deal at work.

Womens Aid: Campaigning against domestic abuse and offering direct support.