1. Trade Unions
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Trade Unions

2. Trade Unions: the TUC
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Trade Unions

3. Trade Unions: Total membership unions affiliated to TUC
,172,508
,601,413
,005,984
,510,157
,082,144
1985 9,855,204
1986 9,585,729
1987 9,243,297
1988 9,127,278
1989 8,652,318
1990 8,405,246
1991 8,192,664
1992 7,762,469
1993 7,303,419
1994 7,298,262
1995 6,894,604
1996 6,790,339
1997 6,756,544
1998 6,638,986
1999 6,749,481
2000 6,745,907
2001 6,722,118
congress/tuc-5346-f0.cfm
Current membership( 2006)
is almost six and a half
million (TUC affiliated unions,
source TUC website)
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Trade Unions

4. The Big Unions Unison 1,300,000 White collar, public service employees
TGWU 890,000 (Transport and General Workers Union)
AEEU 725,000 (Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union)
GMB 712,000 (General Municipal Boilermakers)
USDAW 310,000 Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers)
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Trade Unions

5. The Unions Shop Steward
Union representative on the "shop" (factory) floor ...
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Trade Unions

6. The Unions Links with Labour Party ...
once very close, now much less so
political levy
trade union representation at Labour Annual Conference (now
limited to 50%)
trade union share in election for party leader (30%)
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Trade Unions

7. The Unions Legislation to control unions
1969 failed attempt "In Place of Strife" (Harold Wilson's Labour
government)
Industrial Relations Act (Edward Heath, Conservative)
union resistance. Miners' strike
1974 IRA repealed by Labour government
"Social contract" initiated by Wilson - collapsed
"Winter of discontent"
1979 Thatcher government
Acts in 1980, 1984, 1988, limiting power of unions
and imposing ballots on strike action and political
contributions.
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Trade Unions

8. The Unions The Unions have adapted (support, lobbying, Europe ...)
Effect of unemployment
Minimum wage (unions however thought it was set too low)
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Trade Unions