A labour council, trades council or industrial council is an association of

labour union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

s or union branches in a given area. Most commonly, they represent unions in a given geographical area, whether at the district, city, region, or provincial or state level. They may also be based on a particular industry rather than geographical area, as for example, in the Maritime Council of Australia which co-ordinated the waterfront and maritime unions involved in the 1890 Australian Maritime Dispute. Affiliates of labour councils are

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

branches or locals, and occasionally other

labour movement The labour movement is the collective organisation of working people to further their shared political and economic interests. It consists of the trade union or labour union movement, as well as political parties of labour. It can be considere ...

organisations. Citywide or provincial councils may have district or regional labour council affiliates as well as trade unions. Some labour councils restrict their membership to organisations which are affiliated with a particular national

trade union federation Organizers within trade unions have sought to increase the bargaining power of workers in regards to collective bargaining by acting in collaboration with other trade unions. Multi-union organizing can take place on an informal basis, or on a ...

, such as many state-level labour councils in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, which are chartered from the

AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a national trade union center that is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 61 national and international unions, together r ...

national confederation. Finances are usually obtained through an affiliation fee, often based on a per capita levy on the membership of affiliates. In Australia, trades and labour councils often have their own hall and offices known as a

trades hall A trades hall is a building where trade unions meet together, or work from cooperatively, as a local representative organisation, known as a labour council or trades hall council. The term is commonly used in England, New Zealand, Scotland and Aus ...

, with the term trades hall often used as a colloquial expression for the labour council or trades hall council.

Note on usage

Labour councils are a widespread phenomenon, but are given different names in different English-speaking areas. Labour council is most common in Canada and Australia, labor council is used in the (USA) and trades council, trades union council or trades and labour council in the United Kingdom (and until recently was widespread in Australia) and some other countries. Another term sometimes used is industrial council, as in for example, the Barrier Industrial Council of

Broken Hill Broken Hill is a city in the Far West (New South Wales), far west region of outback New South Wales, Australia. An inland mining city, it is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Hi ...

in Australia. National associations of trade unions, such as British

Trade Union Congress 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 a total of about 5.5 million members. P ...

may also be considered a labour council, though the term often implies a primarily local organisation.

History

Labour councils were formed to meet a need to co-ordinate trade union activity in a geographical region. The earliest examples of this form of organisation can be found in the medieval craft

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

s and craft halls that developed in European cities. An example of this is the historic Glasgow Trades Hall wherein the 14 incorporated trades of Hammermen, Tailors, Cordiners, Maltmen, Weavers, Bakers, Skinners, Wrights, Coopers, Fleshers, Masons, Gardeners, Barbers, Bonnetmakers and Dyers each year elected members of the Trades House, headed by the Deacon Convener of the Trades:

The Trades House of Glasgow was created at the time of reform of Glasgow's local government in 1605. At that time the electorate was basically divided into two groups, the Merchants and the Craftsmen. The Craft Incorporations or Guilds comprised the trades Rank of Burgesses under the leadership of the deacon convener, who was given a council. This included the Craft leaders and is the body we now recognise as the Trades House.

The trade union activity of the late 19th century in particular spurred the establishment of labour councils and trades councils across North America, Australia and Britain. Some notable events in the history of labour councils include: * 1791–1794 – Glasgow Trades Hall built to serve as a public hall and meeting place for the city's Trades House and 14 Incorporated Crafts * 1834 – attempt to establish the

Grand National Consolidated Trades Union The Grand National Consolidated Trades Union of 1834 was an early attempt to form a national union confederation in the United Kingdom. There had been several attempts to form national general unions in the 1820s, culminating with the National ...

in Britain * 1848 – first Liverpool Trades Council founded * 1856 – Melbourne Trades Hall Committee formed. Now known as

Victorian Trades Hall Council The Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC) is a representative body of trade union organisations, known as a labour council, in the state of Victoria, Australia. It comprises 43 affiliated trade unions and professional associations, and eight regi ...

* 1858 – Sheffield Trades Council and Glasgow Trades Council founded * 1859 –

Melbourne Trades Hall Victorian Trades Hall is the headquarters of the Victorian Trades Hall Council in Australia. It is located on the corner of Lygon and Victoria streets, just north of the Melbourne central business district in the suburb of Carlton. It is t ...

opened in May. Edinburgh Trades Council and Bolton Trades Council founded * 1860 –

London Trades Council The London Trades Council was an early labour organisation, uniting London's trade unionists. Its modern successor organisation is the Greater London Association of Trades (Union) Councils History Leading figures in the London trade union mov ...

and Leeds Trades Council founded * 1861 –

Dundee Trades Union Council Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

founded * 1864 –

Manchester and Salford Trades Council The Manchester Trades Union Council brings together trade union branches in Manchester in England. History Efforts to bring trade unionists together across Manchester go back to the eighteenth century. In 1818 the cotton spinners persuaded oth ...

formed. * 1868 – First

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union center, 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 a total of ...

called by Manchester and Salford Trades Council in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, with invitations being sent to "trades councils and other similar federations of trade societies" only. * 1871 – Trades & Labor Council of Sydney formed. * 1871 – Toronto Trades and Labour Assembly (now the Toronto and York Labour Council) formed * 1893 – San Francisco Labor Council chartered. * 1895 –

(Britain) restricted to unions, with trades councils excluded altogether to avoid dual representation. * 1896 – Building Trades Council (now known as the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council is formed in San Francisco, California, uniting various craft unions in the construction industry. * 1926 – In Britain, trades councils play a prominent role in organising the

General Strike A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...

References

External links

Glasgow Trades Hall history

Greater London Association of Trade Union Councils
Trades Union Councils
by the British

Catalogue of the Coventry Trades Council archives
held at the

Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick The Modern Records Centre (MRC) is the specialist archive service of the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, located adjacent to the Central Campus Library. It was established in October 1973 and holds the world's largest archive collect ...

Catalogue of the trades council publications collection
held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick {{Organized labor, sp=uk Labor relations

Note on usage

History

See also

References

External links