This Trades Union Council has for over 150 years been supporting local trade union branches and provided a forum for all trade union branches in the Wolverhampton and Bilston area. It brings together trade unionists to exchange views and develop strategies to tackle local problems of joint concern.
We perform vital work in helping unions in their campaigns, mobilising support and generating publicity as well as promoting the concept of trade unionism in the local community.
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Council meets every 3rd Thursday of the month 7.15pm and any trade unionist can attend as an observer. We have a speaker each month who begins at 8pm, meetings finish at 8.45pm
If your trade union branch would like to affiliate to the trades council please get in touch. We would be willing to send a speaker to your next branch meeting to discuss the our work.
To see what campaigning and solidarity work we have done recently look at our Secretary’s Reports .
Branches are allowed one delegate for each 50 branch members or part thereof up to 200 members, and then one delegate for each additional 100 members or part thereof, up to a maximum of 11 delegates. Affiliation is 12p per member of your branch living or working in the area (min £10).
Most main local union branches affiliate to WB&DTUC:
ASLEF, CWU, FBU, GMB X13, Musicians’ Union, NEU, PCS, RMT, UCU College, UCU University, UNISON City of Wolverhampton, UNISON Sandwell, UNISON Staffordshire, UNITE WM6150, UNITE WM7132, UNITE WM5203 (Ret Mem), UNITE WM7085 W’ton Homes, UNITE Community WM5115
action: increasing our affiliation base is a key to increased activity and effectiveness for our campaigns.
The Executive Committee constantly looks at this. Some regional offices pay affiliations on behalf of their branches e.g. UNITE, UCU so there should be higher levels of affiliation from these unions. Many local trade union branches have very small branch meetings or have difficulty involving members in activity. WB&DTUC is thus the ideal platform for increasing the capacity for involvement in public work.
action: branches need to attract new activists to be put forward as delegates. There is still a huge potential for increasing our affiliation base and delegates can assist by contacting unaffiliated branches with which they have dealings.
Message from Midlands TUC Regional Secretary:
In the Midlands region we have some really brilliant Trades Councils who are doing some amazing “cuts” work and community campaigning against the cuts.
We are the fastest growing region in terms of Trades Councils and new ones in particular. We also have some Trades Councils being re-established which is also brilliant news.
I have been asked to ask you directly if you would please encourage all Branches within your Union/region to affiliate to their nearest Trades Council- this would be of enormous help to the Trades Councils within the region and allow them to further develop their plans to ensure that we build community alliances and protect our Members, their jobs and our communities and services.
Thanks in anticipation of your kind support and cooperation in what I appreciate is an extremely busy time for all.
A message from the TUC General Secretary:
“Britain’s unions have their best opportunity in a generation to grow once again. New rights at work are giving people a new confidence to demand dignity and respect at work.
TRADES UNION COUNCILS can help promote the union message where it matters most – at the grass roots, in the community, in the workplace.
By bringing trade unionists together, campaigning around local concerns and building up new alliances, Trades Union Councils can play a crucial role in helping unions reach out to new members.
I URGE UNION BRANCHES TO AFFILIATE TO THEIR LOCAL TRADES UNION COUNCIL and to get involved in its activity.”
Roger McKenzie former Secretary Midlands TUC: “I am a firm supporter of trades union councils and believe that they are vital bodies on which our movement can be renewed. In my view this does not necessarily mean trades union councils operating in the same way as they have done historically. One lesson from the local campaigns against fascism could be that having, the building of community alliances for social justice at their heart may be one of the ways of reinvigorating trades union councils”
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