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54-760: Until 1894, representatives of Irish trade unions attended the British Trades Union Congress (TUC). However, many felt that they had little impact on the British body, and the Dublin Trades Council had twice tried and failed to form an Irish federation of trade unions. Its third attempt, the Irish Trades Union Congress, met for the first time in April 1894. Although some Irish delegates continued to attend

108-623: A motion "calling for a special conference to establish a voice for working people within parliament. Within the year the conference had been held and the Labour Representation Committee established (the forerunner of the Labour Party)." The major TUC affiliated unions still make up the great bulk of the British Labour Party affiliated membership, but there is no formal/organisational link between

162-599: A new system. The Parliamentary Committee became the General Council, representing thirty groups of workers. The General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress became chief permanent officer of the TUC, and a major figure in the British trade union movement. The system was successfully implemented by Fred Bramley and Walter Citrine . By 1927 the TUC had the making of a trade union bureaucracy similar to

216-593: A particular wing of the movement. Changes to the groups and numbers of seats were made over time, as the number of workers represented in different industries fluctuated, but the system survived intact until the early 1980s. Most of the members elected from Group 1 represented the large Miners' Federation of Great Britain , or its successor, the National Union of Mineworkers , but there were several smaller unions which often managed to win one seat. Throughout this period, Group 2 comprised three railway unions:

270-475: A seat in the early years, and pursued an independent course throughout this period. The Cotton Group was the original Group 9; in 1968, it was merged into the Textiles Group. The cotton industry had a large number of small trade unions, and in 1934, the group had 46 members. Unusually, the majority of individual members of the unions were women, but the seats were always won by men, representing one of

324-473: A seat on the council. Some members of the council are further elected to serve on the smaller Executive Committee of the TUC. The President of the Trades Union Congress is also chosen by the General Council. Although the TUC has long had links with the Labour Party , members of the General Council are not permitted to sit on Labour's National Executive Committee . Until 1921, the leading body of

378-507: A televised debate. In August 2022, the TUC declared its support for a £15 an hour minimum wage. General Council of the Trades Union Congress The General Council of the Trades Union Congress is an elected body which is responsible for carrying out the policies agreed at the annual British Trade Union Congresses (TUC). The council has 56 members, all of whom must be proposed by one of

432-667: A total of about 5.5 million members. Paul Nowak is the TUC's current General Secretary, serving from January 2023. The TUC's decision-making body is the Annual Congress, which takes place in September. Between congresses decisions are made by the General Council , which meets every two months. An Executive Committee is elected by the Council from its members. Affiliated unions can send delegates to Congress with

486-535: A vote of other unions. Six seats were initially reserved for women. Section B originated as part of Section A, unions with 100,000 to 200,000 members being automatically entitled to one seat on the council. In 1989, these unions were moved to a new Section B, but there were no changes to their entitlement of seats. Unions with 30,000 to 99,999 members moved to Section B in 2012. Unions with fewer than 100,000 members were placed in Section B until 1989. In 1989,

540-457: A wide variety of unions - 18 in 1934 - the National Union of Textile Workers (NUTW), and then its successor, the National Union of Dyers, Bleachers and Textile Workers (NUDBTW), almost always won the seat. In 1968, the cotton group was merged in, forming Group 11: Textiles, and while the dyers generally won the seat (latterly as a section of the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU),

594-487: Is now Princess Street and was then David Street; the building is at no. 103). The fact that the TUC was formed by Northern Trades Councils was not coincidental. One of the issues which prompted this initiative was the perception that the London Trades Council (formed in 1860 and including, because of its location, many of the most prominent union leaders of the day) was taking a dominant role in speaking for

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648-711: The Advisory Council of Irish Unions . This comprised eighteen unions based in Ireland, and accounted for about half the ITUC membership. The Advisory Council cut ties with the ITUC in 1945 and formed the Congress of Irish Unions . After long negotiations, the two organisations reunited in 1959 to form the Irish Congress of Trade Unions . The following unions were affiliated to the ITUC as of 1925: By 1954,

702-632: The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), National Union of Railwaymen (NUR) and Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA). Each usually saw its general secretary elected to one of the three seats, although the abolition of one seat in 1969 left a battle between ASLEF and the TSSA for the second seat. By far the largest union in Group 3 was the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU), although representatives of

756-476: The Association of Professional, Executive, Clerical and Computer Staff (APEX), National Association of Theatrical and Kine Employees (NATKE) and Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians (ACTT) becoming important. The National Federation of Insurance Workers - later part of the National Union of Insurance Workers - was also sizable, but never gained a seat on the council, unlike

810-707: The Irish Parliamentary Party . In 1912, the ITUC established a political arm, becoming known as the Irish Labour Party and Trade Union Congress (or Irish Trade Union Congress and Labour Party ). The political wing evolved into the Labour Party . Despite the Partition of Ireland , the ITUC continued to organise throughout the island, but tensions arose between the unions based in Britain and with members in both Britain and Ireland, and

864-570: The London Society of Compositors (LSC), National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants (NATSOPA), National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers (NUPBPW), and Typographical Association (TA). Over the years, these undertook a series of mergers, forming new unions, including the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades (SOGAT). The Textiles Group was originally Group 10: Textiles (other than cotton). Although there were

918-615: The Modern Records Centre at the University of Warwick Library. The archive contains files from about 1920 up to 2000 consisting of correspondence, internal and external documents, minutes, reports, printed material and press statements. The TUC campaigns on a wide range of issues relating to the experience of people at work. The TUC succeeded in forcing Sports Direct to undergo an independent review into their treatment of workers in September 2016. In October 2016,

972-567: The National Union of Glovers . The Boot, Shoe and Leather Group was the original Group 12, but in 1968 it was merged into the Clothing Group. Group 13 was highly diverse. The most important unions were those involved in distribution, the National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks (NAUSAWC) and the National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers (NUDAW), which later merged to form

1026-689: The National Union of Seamen and a couple of minor unions often secured one seat. The Amalgamated Society of Boilermakers dominated Group 4, with various smaller unions gradually merging into it or the general unions. Group 5 contained a large number of unions - 26 in 1934 - and while the Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU) reliably won at least one seat, unions like the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) and United Patternmakers' Association (UPA) often won seats. The Iron and Steel and Minor Metal Trades Group

1080-546: The National Union of Teachers being particularly important, while the Confederation of Health Service Employees (COHSE) absorbed the MHIWU. The Civil Servants Group was added in 1946, when unions of civil servants were first permitted to affiliate to the TUC. The Non-Manual Workers Group consisted of clerks, insurance staff, workers in entertainment, and doctors. Many of its unions grew rapidly during this period, with

1134-635: The Transport and General Workers' Union , which was instead placed in Group 3. The General Workers Group was originally Group 17 and was renumbered on the creation of the Civil Servants Group, in 1948. In 1921, the Women's Trade Union League became the Women's Section of the TUC, and most women's trade unions merged into their counterparts. In exchange, the TUC agreed to create a two-member group, to ensure that women workers had representation on

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1188-651: The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers . In 1952, a second seat was added, and this was invariably filled by representatives of smaller unions, the largest of which were the Bakers', Food and Allied Workers' Union (BFAWU) and the National Society of Pottery Workers (NSPW). There were many smaller unions, and the Tobacco Workers' Union (TWU) secured representation for a few years. For most of

1242-797: The "General Staff of the Labour Movement" it incorporated the Trades Councils who had given birth to it, eventually becoming the body which authorised these local arms of the TUC to speak on behalf of the wider Trade Union Movement at local and County level. Also, as the TUC became increasingly bureaucratised, the Trades Councils (often led by militant and communist-influenced lay activists) found themselves being subject to political restrictions and purges (particularly during various anti-communist witch-hunts) and to having their role downplayed and marginalised. In some areas (especially in London and

1296-467: The British TUC, their decision to bar representatives of trades councils from 1895 increased dissatisfaction, and the ITUC soon became the leading Irish union federation. Despite this, the new federation adopted the form of the British TUC, differentiating itself primarily by offering lower subscription rates and lower costs for delegates to attend its annual congress. In 1900, the British TUC asked

1350-531: The ITUC to amalgamate with it, but this request was rejected. In its early years, the ITUC was dominated by small craft unions . The unions of carpenters were particularly important, while the printers and tailors also proved significant. Several British-based unions with Irish members also affiliated. While initially aiming to include the "land and labour" movement, this was excluded from 1898 onwards, as its organisations were not considered to be recognised trade unions or trades councils. Early issues discussed as

1404-487: The Irish-based unions. In 1936, the organisation formed a commission to examine the issue. William O'Brien put in a proposal to form ten industrial groupings with no overlaps to negotiate on behalf of workers - in effect, this would have passed existing union activities to ten industrial unions . This and three other proposals were discussed at the 1939 conference, but O'Brien and his supporters walked out and formed

1458-783: The South East) the Regional Councils of the TUC (dominated by paid officials of the unions) effectively took over the role of the County Associations of Trades Councils and these paid officials replaced elected lay-members as the spokespersons for the Trade Union Movement at County and Regional level. By the end of the 20th century local Trades Councils and County Associations of Trades Councils had become so ineffective and weak that many had simply faded into effective dissolution. The 1899 Congress saw

1512-416: The TUC and the party. The Scottish Trades Union Congress , which was formed in 1897, is a separate and autonomous organisation. The Parliamentary Committee grew slowly, confining itself to legal matters, and ignored industrial disputes. In 1916 Harry Gosling proposed that organised labour needed an administrative machine. Following the railway strike of 1919, Ernest Bevin and G. D. H. Cole proposed

1566-580: The TUC was the Parliamentary Committee . This had seventeen members, but by the collapse of the Triple Alliance , it was considered ineffective and to have insufficient powers in industrial matters. The new General Council had 32 members, elected from industrial groups, each consisting of one or more unions operating in a particular industry. Two of the places were reserved for women. It received additional powers to intervene in

1620-599: The TUC's campaign against the Trade Union Act 2016 won 'Best Public Affairs Campaign' at the PR Week Awards. In August 2022, the TUC declared its support for a £15 an hour minimum wage, which it says should be implemented "as soon as possible". The TUC was founded in the 1860s. The United Kingdom Alliance of Organised Trades , founded in Sheffield , Yorkshire, in 1866, was the immediate forerunner of

1674-613: The TUC, although efforts to expand local unions into regional or national organisations date back at least forty years earlier; in 1822, John Gast formed a "Committee of the Useful Classes", sometimes described as an early national trades council. The first TUC meeting was held in 1868 when the Manchester and Salford Trades Council convened the founding meeting in the Manchester Mechanics' Institute (on what

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1728-620: The Tolpuddle Martyrs Museum and annual Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival and Rally commemorating the Tolpuddle Martyrs and their impact on trade unionism. The TUC Library preserves documents related to labour history in Britain and other countries, especially Europe and the Commonwealth . It was established in 1922 and now focuses on expanding the online and digital collections. The TUC archives are held at

1782-496: The Trade Union Movement as a whole. The second TUC meeting took place in 1869 at the Oddfellows Hall, Temple Street, Birmingham where delegates discussed the eight-hour working day, election of working people to Parliament and the issue of free education. Arising out of the 1897 Congress, a decision was taken to form a more centralised trade union structure that would enable a more militant approach to be taken to fighting

1836-577: The case of major industrial disputes, and to resolve inter-union conflicts. In 1924, the Joint Consultative Committee was set up, which brought trades councils ultimately under the control of the General Council. However, these powers were not always exercised; many members of the council in the early years were elected on grounds of seniority, rather than recent accomplishments. Some were associated with left- and right-wing factions, although most were not strongly identified with

1890-659: The civil service. During the First World War, the Trades Union Congress generally supported the aims of the British Empire. However, in 1915, national conference voted against the introduction of military conscription. The TUC played a major role in the General Strike of 1926 , and became increasingly affiliated with the Labour Party in the 1930s, securing seven of the thirteen available seats on

1944-423: The congress included the campaigns for an eight-hour day , for manhood suffrage , and for improvements to pay and conditions. Calls for nationalisation were initially defeated, but were passed in 1898. While delegates votes in favour of establishing a political fund, to support favoured candidates, nothing came of this, although the ITUC did have strong links with Joseph Nannetti , who liaised on its behalf with

1998-527: The council. The group was originally numbered 18, and was renumbered on the creation of the Civil Servants Group. The group was expanded to five seats in 1981. After many years of discussion, a comprehensive restructure of the council was agreed in 1982, and took place following the annual TUC meeting in September 1983. Initially, the new council had 53 members, with those unions with more than 100,000 members gaining automatic seats and therefore becoming eligible to nominate members without them being subject to

2052-628: The employer and even achieving the socialist transformation of society. The result was the General Federation of Trade Unions which was formed in 1899. For some years it was unclear which body (the GFTU or the TUC) would emerge as the national trade union centre for the UK and for a while both were recognised as such by different fraternal organisations in other countries. However, it was soon agreed among

2106-470: The following unions held membership: Trades Union Congress Social democracy Socialism Communism Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Other The Trades Union Congress ( TUC ) is a national trade union centre , a federation of trade unions that collectively represent most unionised workers in England and Wales . There are 48 affiliated unions with

2160-488: The group dominated by the National Union of Public Employees (NUPE), Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers' Union (MHIWU), National Union of County Officers and Fire Brigades Union (FBU). The ban was lifted after World War II, but a new group was added for civil servants. Despite this, the public employees group steadily grew in size, the affiliation of the National and Local Government Officers' Association and

2214-606: The local trade union activists. The TUC leadership subsequently tried to distort the result of the survey to justify its own opposition toward unauthorised marches. In 1945, the World Trade Union Conference took place in February at County Hall, London , before the first World Trade Union Congress was convened in Paris, October of the same year. In 1958, the TUC's current headquarters, Congress House ,

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2268-401: The main cotton workers' union, the National Union of Textile and Allied Workers (NUTAW), held it for a few years. The Clothing Group was dominated by the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers (NUTGW), which gradually absorbed the smaller unions of tailors. It also included unions for hosiery workers which eventually merged as the National Union of Hosiery and Knitwear Workers , and

2322-410: The major unions that the TUC should take the leading role and that this would be the central body of the organised Labour Movement in the UK. The GFTU continued in existence and remains to this day as a federation of (smaller, often craft-based) trade unions providing common services and facilities to its members (especially education and training services). As the TUC expanded and formalised its role as

2376-437: The newly created National Council of Labour in 1934. The TUC pressured the Labour Party into rejecting Ramsay MacDonald 's National Government formed to implement spending cuts, and no major trade unions joined his breakaway National Labour Organisation . A TUC survey of local trades councils who were approached by unemployed marchers for support in 1936 shows widespread support for unemployed workers' protest marches among

2430-625: The number of delegates they can send proportionate to their size. Each year Congress elects a President of the Trades Union Congress , who carries out the office for the remainder of the year and then presides over the following year's conference. The TUC is not affiliated with the Labour Party . At election time the TUC cannot endorse a particular party by name. However it can point to policies that it believes would be positive for workers' rights , or to social cohesion and community welfare. It can also politically campaign against policies that it believes would be injurious to workers. The TUC also runs

2484-404: The period, the National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers (NUAAW) was the only union in Group 14. The Scottish Farm Servants' Union , initially also in this group, merged into the Transport and General Workers' Union early on. Group 15 brought together unions of state and local authority workers. However, the Trade Union Act 1927 banned state employees from joining the TUC, leaving

2538-528: The public as a competition, which David Du R Aberdeen won. From 1979 to the end of the 20th century, the TUC's membership declined from about 12 million to about 6.6 million. This took place during and after the Premiership of Margaret Thatcher , among other contributing factors. Frances O'Grady became elected to be the leader of the TUC in 2012. The TUC endorsed a remain vote at the 2016 European Union membership referendum , and O'Grady participated in

2592-428: The smaller Musicians' Union . The Non-Manual Workers Group was originally Group 16 and was renumbered on the creation of the Civil Servants Group, in 1946. There were initially a large number of unions of general workers, but within a couple of decades, they had all been absorbed into two large general unions - the National Union of General and Municipal Workers (NUGMW), which became the sole union in this group, and

2646-641: The three amalgamations to which most of the unions belonged: the Amalgamated Weavers' Association (AWA), the Amalgamated Association of Operative Cotton Spinners (AAOCS), and the Cardroom Amalgamation (CWA). The Printing and Paper Group was originally Group 8, but was renumbered in 1968. Almost all of its members were involved with printing, and in the early years, the seat was contested by four larger unions:

2700-532: The two Felt Hatters' and Trimmers' Unions of Great Britain . Originally Group 11, in 1968 it absorbed the Boot, Shoe and Leather Group, and was renumbered as Group 12. The Boot, Shoe and Leather Group was dominated by the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives (NUBSO). It also included smaller rivals, notably the Rossendale Union of Boot, Shoe and Slipper Operatives , unions of leather workers, and

2754-437: The unions affiliated to the TUC. Unions with more members receive an automatic allocation of seats, in proportion to their membership. Smaller unions propose candidates for eleven elected seats. In addition, there are separately elected seats: four for women, three for black workers, at least one of whom must be a woman, and one each for young workers, workers with disabilities, and LGBT workers. The General Secretary also has

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2808-530: Was built. It was proposed at the 1944 Congress in Blackpool as a tribute to the lives of trade unionists that were lost in World War II . The idea was quickly expanded on to include conference and meeting facilities now known as Congress Centre. The building was also seen as an opportunity to raise interest in arts and culture, architecture in particular and the chance to design the building was left open to

2862-482: Was originally Group 6, but was renumbered in 1968. The Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (ISTC) was the largest union in the group, and consistently held one of its seats. Until 1966, there was a second seat, held by the tiny National Union of Gold, Silver and Allied Trades (NUGSAT), and later by the National Union of Blastfurnacemen (NUB). There were many other small unions in the group - in 1934, it had 23 members. The Building, Woodworking and Furnishing Group

2916-520: Was originally Group 7, but was renumbered in 1965. While there were initially a large number of unions in the group, the Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers (AUBTW) and Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers (ASW) generally won the seats, and later became part of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT), which dominated the group from the 1970s. The National Amalgamated Furnishing Trades Association (NAFTA) won

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