What is a trades council?
Trades councils (sometimes known as trades union councils) are local groups of trade unionists. They are elected from trade union branches whose members live and/or work in the area. They can be called upon by trade union branches to show strike or other dispute solidarity – which could be via a picket line, media publicity or a financial appeal. Trades councils are an integral part of the trade union movement.
National trade unions can promote their priority issues more effectively when local trades councils assist with publicity, leaflet distribution, recruitment and speakers at meetings – the trade union Save our Ticket Offices campaigns in 2023 is an excellent example of this, when trades councils up and down the country played a crucial role in overturning the Government’s decision to close rail ticket offices. Trades councils provide the vital link between the workplace and the wider working-class community.
Trades councils can send resolutions to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) at regional and national levels – they are therefore part of a wider body.
Trades council delegates
It is important that affiliated branches send delegates to trades council meetings to represent the interests of their branch and to be part of joint union campaigns. The delegates’ role is to represent the collective view of their branch within the trades council.
Trades councils at regional levels
Trades councils can combine within one or more local government areas (in London it is London Borough area) to form a delegate-based county association, which meets to co-ordinate campaign and solidarity work across that wider area. In London the county association is called GLATC (Greater London Association of Trades Councils) https://glatuc.org/.
Trades councils can send delegates to regional TUC meetings and conferences, either directly or via their county association, and may have seats on the executive committee of regional TUCs.
Trades councils at national level
There are about 150 trades councils in England and Wales and about 25 county associations.
These are represented nationally by the TUC joint consultative committee (TUCJCC), which has nine elected trades council delegates and meets with members of the TUC general council six times a year. In London our delegate is Pamela Fitzpatrick.
Trades councils conference
This is held annually and consists of delegates from local trades councils and county associations.
Conference discusses a report from the TUCJCC, motions relevant to the movement, current campaigns and new programme of work ideas via conference workshops.
Conference selects a single motion for the TUC annual Congress and elects a delegate to move that motion.
What do trades councils do?
Trades councils’ activities are guided by an annual programme of work, determined by the trades council annual conference.
Trades councils bring unions together to campaign around issues affecting working people in their workplaces and local communities. Trades councils aim to:
- Raise public awareness of rights at work, and the role of trade unions in enforcing those rights
- Promote organising and recruitment drives to build union membership
- Support union and community campaigns for dignity and respect in the workplace and beyond
Affiliation to trades councils
Affiliating to the trades council is vital as it spreads messages to communities and to other trade unions about issues affecting different unions locally and nationally, so that active campaigning work can take place.
Trade union branches affiliate to their local trades council on the basis of a small annual fee per member, which is usually between 10p and 25p.
In turn, trades councils support and can themselves affiliate to local and national union campaigns for social justice.
Camden Trades Council 