This guide uses sources from the 1930s to give a general overview of how the Trades Union Congress operated during that period. It is arranged in the following sections:

• About the Trades Union Congress
• The Trades Union Congress General Council: Its history and organisation
• Officers of the Trades Union Congress between 1936-1939
• Members of the General Council between 1936-1939
• Membership of affiliated trade unions between 1936-1939
• Meetings of the TUC General Council between July 1936 - April 1939

 

About the Trades Union Congress

This 24 point profile of the Trades Union Congress was included in the commemorative book '70 years of trade unionism', published by the TUC in 1938 to celebrate its 70th anniversary [document reference: MSS.78/5/7/13].

1. Congress is a voluntary organisation formed in 1868 and now consists of 214 affiliated Unions.

2. It meets for one week in every year, commencing on the first Monday in September.

3. Its affiliated membership at the end of 1937 was 4,460,000 members.

4. Unions pay an affiliation fee of 2 1/2 pence per member per annum. In addition they pay an amount not exceeding 15 shillings per 1,000 members to Congress for remission to the International Federation of Trade Unions.

5. Congress meets in a different town every year. The place of meeting is usually decided by the General Council upon proposals made by the affiliated Unions.

6. Unions appoint delegates up to a maximum of one delegate for every 5,000 members or part thereof.

7. Congress discusses a wide range of subjects of an industrial, economic and political character affecting Trade Unions in both national and international spheres.

8. Its Agenda consists of a report submitted by the General Council, and of resolutions forwarded by the affiliated Unions.

9. The report and resolutions are usually forwarded to delegates fourteen days prior to the opening of Congress.

10. Voting may be by voice or show of hands, but on all principal issues the normal procedure is to vote by card. Each Union is entitled to one vote for every 1,000 members.

11. Resolutions and decisions of the Congress are remitted to the General Council to take whatever action may be necessary, the Council acting as an Executive Committee.

12. The General Council is elected by Congress as a whole, the Unions being combined in 17 industrial groups.

13. The General Council consists of 30 members elected in this way, and in addition 2 women members.

14. Candidates must be nominated by Unions in the Group concerned. Only Unions catering for women members are allowed to nominate for the Women's Group.

15. The General Council meets on the fourth Wednesday of every month except in August, when it meets just prior to the opening of the Congress. Special meetings are held as circumstances may necessitate.

16. The Council appoints from its own membership a number of Standing Committees to give detailed consideration to all questions. These Committees submit recommendations to the full Council.

17. The main Standing Committees are: Finance and General Purposes, Disputes, Education, Organisation, Social Insurance, International and Economic.

18. In addition a number of special and joint Committees with other bodies are appointed.

19. On important political questions consultation takes place with the Labour Party through the National Council of Labour, which represents the [Trades Union Congress] General Council, the Executive Committee of the Labour Party and the Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

20. The Annual Congress is attended by fraternal delegates appointed by such bodies as the International Federation of Trade Unions, the American Federation of Labour, the Canadian Trades and Labour Congress, the Co-operative Congress and the Labour Party. The British TUC reciprocates by sending fraternal delegates each year to the Conferences of these bodies.

21. Congress is affiliated to the International Federation of Trade Unions, representing over 20,000,000 Trade Unionists in different countries.

22. It preserves friendly relations with the Scottish and Irish Trades Union Congresses, and other Labour organisations.

23. The official Minutes of the Annual Congress are recorded by the Secretary of the Trades Council, whose appointment as Minute Secretary is usually moved by the President of Congress. In addition, the full proceedings are recorded by a staff of shorthand writers.

24. The Congress Report generally extends to 500 pages, and is printed within fourteen days of the termination of Congress. It is available for sale usually at the price of 2 shillings and 6 pence per copy [copies of the Congress report between 1868-1968 are available online through the TUC History Online website].

 

The Trades Union Congress General Council:

Its history and organisation

The following is an edited version of an anonymous article on 'The General Council of the British Trades Union Congress' written in 1936. The article appeared in the souvenir agenda of the 7th International Trades Union Congress, held in London between 8-11 July 1936 [document reference: MSS.159/5/2/42].

The work of the Trades Union Congress General Council was formerly carried out by a body called the Parliamentary Committee of twelve (later sixteen) members, elected at the annual British Trades Union Congresses. Before its establishment in 1871, the organised Movement possessed no lasting central body to direct its activities or to co-ordinate and unify its organisations.

As the title implies, the Parliamentary Committee operated mainly through Parliament and its Ministers and their Departments. It was successful in determining much of the character of British social legislation. Measures for franchise reform, for free unsectarian education, for the reform of conditions in factories, for workmen's compensation, for social insurance, were all largely influenced by the activities of the Parliamentary Committee.

In the years 1914-1918, the membership of the British trade unions was more than doubled. This influx of members helped to create the feeling that the machinery at the disposal of the Parliamentary Committee needed extension. Reorganisation took place in 1920. The name of the Committee was changed into the General Council, and the number of members increased to 32. These members are elected by a ballot of the whole Trades Union Congress. Election takes place on the basis of the following groups of industries:

Mining and Quarrying	3 members
Railways	3 members
Transport (other than Railways)	3 members
Shipbuilding	1 member
Engineering, Founding and Vehicle Building	3 members
Iron and Steel, and minor Metal Trades	2 members
Building, Woodworking and Furnishing	2 members
Printing and Paper	1 member
Cotton	2 members
Textiles (other than Cotton)	1 member
Clothing	1 member
Leather and Boot and Shoe	1 member
Glass, Pottery, Chemicals, Food, Drink, Tobacco, Brushmaking and Distribution	1 member
Agriculture	1 member
Public Employees	1 member
Non-Manual Workers	1 member
General Workers	3 members
Women Workers	2 members

 

Every union in a group has the right to nominate a candidate to represent the group. After each Congress, the General Council, at their first meeting, elect a Chairman, who becomes later the President of the next Congress. Various Committees are also elected, whose purpose is to plan out methods of giving effect to the decisions taken by Congress.

There is, for instance, a Disputes Committee, which acts as a conciliating body in all disputes arising between unions; the Organisation Committee which has for its main objects the increase of trade union membership; the Education Committee, which arranges for the education of trade unionists; the Social Insurance Committee which deals with all problems affecting the insurance of the workmen. Attached to this Committee, in an advisory capacity, is a Medical Advisor and Consultant, whose services are most valuable in connection with saving workmen from the scourge of industrial diseases and poisons.

There is also an Economic Committee, which advises the Council on questions of national economic policy as they affect the workers. An International Committee has charge of the relations between the British trade unions and the I.F.T.U. [International Federation of Trade Unions], and also carries out the necessary preparatory work for the representation of the trade unions at the International Labour Organisation in Geneva. The National Women's Advisory Committee deals especially with industrial problems and organisation affecting women workers.

In dealing with all the day-to-day problems which arise, the General Council follows the general lines of a constructive Charter which the Congress has drawn up. This Charter aims at the transformation of existing institutions in such a way that ultimately there will exist in Great Britain complete democratic control of industry, with the elimination of profit-making, and a more just sharing-out of the wealth of the nation.

In 1899 the Trades Union Congress decided to organise the independent representation in Parliament of the British working class. A Labour Representation Committee was appointed for the purpose, and in 1906 a compact party of 29 Labour Members entered the House of Commons.

Space does not allow for a detailed account of the work or progress of the Labour Party. It must suffice to say that, becoming officially recognised as the Opposition Party in Parliament, a Labour Government was formed in 1924; and again in 1929 another Labour Government with a Labour Prime Minister took charge of the interests of the Nation.

At the last General Election, held in November, 1935, 154 Labour Members were returned, representing a total electorate of 8,326,131.

Representatives appointed by the Labour Members in the House of Commons, with members of the [Trades Union Congress] General Council and members of the Executive Committee of the Labour Party itself, form the body known as the National Council of Labour. This Council meets every month and special meetings are summoned in cases of emergency. The Council co-ordinates trade union with Parliamentary action and its decisions are recognised as the authoritative and united voice of the British Trade Union and Labour Movement.

In regularly surveying and examining economic and political conditions, this joint body has developed important functions. It organises an intelligence service, giving to its joint membership, by means of the "Daily Herald" and other publications, the right perspective of facts, and indicating the policy to pursue; it works out detailed plans for reforms; it organises opposition to anti-social projects; it keeps in close touch with the two central Internationals of the Trade Unions and the Socialist Parties [the International Federational of Trade Unions and the Labour and Socialist International], promoting in this way the tendencies that exist favouring organisation of the world's economic life, and concerting action for maintaining the principle of collective security based on the Covenant and the League of Nations.

 

Officers of the Trades Union Congress General Council between 1936-1939:

General Secretary:   Sir Walter Citrine (WMC) Walter McLennan Citrine was born in Wallasey (near Liverpool) in 1887. An electrician by trade, Citrine rose through the ranks of the Electrical Trades Union, finally becoming Assistant Secretary of the ETU between 1920-23. He was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Trades Union Congress in 1924, and took over as Acting Secretary in 1925. He was confirmed as General Secretary in 1926 and stayed in office until his retirement from the post in 1946. Citrine played an active part in international trade unionism, serving as President of the International Federation of Trade Unions between 1928-1945.

Assistant General Secretary:   Vincent Tewson (HVT) Harold Vincent Tewson was born in Bradford in 1898. His first job on leaving school was in the central office of the Amalgamated Society of Dyers and, with the exception of 3 years army service during the First World War, Tewson worked there continuously until his appointment as TUC Organisation Secretary in 1925. Tewson was promoted to Assistant General Secretary in 1931 and took over the post of General Secretary from Sir Walter Citrine in 1946.

 

Departments:

	Education This department dealt with a range of educational issues relevant to trade unionists, including trade union scholarships to Ruskin College, Oxford, and international and national summer schools. It also maintained contact with organisations such as the Workers' Educational Association and the National Council of Labour Colleges. Head of department: J.V.C. Wray
	Finance The Finance Department managed the regular income and expenditure of the Trades Union Congress, and took financial control of special appeals launched by the TUC. Head of department: E. Parkin
	International The International Department maintained contact with trade unions of other countries, various international institutions (including the International Labour Organisation, the International Federation of Trade Unions, and the International Trade Secretariats), and sections of the British government. It provided information on international affairs to the TUC General Council and affiliated unions. Head of department: W.J. Bolton Bolton was the longest serving member of the TUC staff, and was first hired to work for the TUC Parliamentary Committee (the precursor of the General Council) in 1903. Other staff included: Ernest A. Bell, Albert Edward Carthy.
	Organisation This department was concerned with the development of trade union membership and structure, the conduct of negotiations for the amalgamation of unions, and similar questions. Head of department: E.P. Harries Woman Officer: Nancy Adam
	Publicity This department maintained relations with newspapers, newspaper correspondents, and the labour and trade union journals. It was also responsible for official TUC publications, General Council press communiques, and for certain joint publicity services maintained in connection with the Labour Party. Head of department: Herbert Tracey Tracey joined the staff of the Labour Party in 1917, and created the Party's press and publicity department. In 1921 he became Industrial Correspondent of the Joint Press and Publicity Department of the Labour Party and Trades Union Congress. In 1925/6, when the joint arrangement came to an end, he was appointed Publicity Officer of the TUC, and set up the TUC publicity department.
	Research and Economic The main function of this department was to undertake research and supply information for the use of the other TUC departments and General Council, affiliated trade unions, and, in some cases, outside bodies. Head of department: George Woodcock George Woodcock was born at Bamber Bridge, Lancashire, in 1904. By the age of 14 he was working full-time in a local cotton mill. He won a TUC scholarship to Ruskin College, Oxford in 1929, moving to New College, Oxford in 1931 where he earned a first in philosophy, politics and economics. He joined the TUC in 1936 as head of the Research and Economic Department. He was appointed Assistant General Secretary of the TUC in 1947 and General Secretary in 1960.
	Social Insurance This department dealt with a range of social welfare issues, including health care and medicine, unemployment, pensions, workmen's compensation, workplace legislation and accident prevention. It undertook research, provided information, and maintained contact with other relevant bodies. Head of department: J.L. Smyth Jim Smyth was Assistant General Secretary of the United Operative Plumbers' and Domestic Engineers' Association between 1920-1928. He took charge of the newly formed TUC Social Insurance Department in 1928. Medical Advisor: Dr Hyacinth Bernard Wenceslaus Morgan Dr H.B. Morgan was appointed Medical Advisor to the TUC in 1933, and also acted as an unofficial advisor on Roman Catholic affairs (he was a practising Catholic of Irish descent). Dr Morgan was appointed chairman of the Spanish Medical Aid Committee in 1936, and kept senior members of the TUC informed about the organisation and campaigns of SMAC.

 

Members of the General Council between 1936-1939:

Members of the General Council were elected annually at the Trades Union Congress in September.

The lists of members have been compiled from the annual reports of proceedings of the TUC for September 1935, 1936, 1937 and 1938 [document reference: MSS.292/PUB/4/1/35-38]. The photograph of the General Council in 1936 is included in the souvenir agenda of the 7th International Trades Union Congress, held in London between 8-11 July 1936 [document reference: MSS.159/5/2/42].

	Chairmen: 1935/6: Mr. Allan A.H. Findlay 1936/7: Ernest Bevin 1937/8: Herbert H. Elvin 1938/9: J. Hallsworth
	Vice-Chairmen: 1935/6: Mr. W. Kean 1936/7: Mr. Allan A.H. Findlay 1937/8: Ernest Bevin 1938/9: Herbert H. Elvin

 

Members:

Mr J. Bell	Amalgamated Weavers' Association (1937/8 - 1938/9)
Harry Berry	Amalgamated Engineering Union (1935/6 - 1937/8)
Ernest Bevin	Transport and General Workers' Union (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Mr H. Boothman	Amalgamated Association of Operative Cotton Spinners (1935/6)
Mr J. Bromley	Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (1935/6)
John Brown	Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (1936/7 - 1938/9)
Mr H. Bullock	National Union of General and Municipal Workers (1937/8 - 1938/9)
George Chester	National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives (1937/8 - 1938/9)
Andrew Conley	National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Charles Dukes	National Union of General and Municipal Workers (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Ebenezer (Ebby) Edwards	Mineworkers' Federation of Great Britain (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Herbert Henry Elvin	National Union of Clerks and Administrative Workers (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Mr W.J. Farthing	Transport and General Workers' Union (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Mr Allan A.H. Findlay	United Patternmakers' Association (1935/6 - 1938/9)
George Gibson	Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers' Union (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Joseph Hallsworth	National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Mr R.C. Handley	Amalgamated Association of Operative Cotton Spinners and Twiners (1938/9)
Florence Hancock	Transport and General Workers' Union (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Mr H.N. Harrison	National Union of General and Municipal Workers (1937/8 - 1938/9)
Arthur Hayday, M.P.	National Union of General and Municipal Workers (1935/6 - 1936/7)
George Hicks, M.P.	Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Mr J. Hill	Boilermakers and Iron and Steel Shipbuilders (1935/6)
Mr J. Hindle	Amalgamated Weavers' Association (1935/6 - 1936/7)
Mr M. Hodgson	Boilermakers and Iron and Steel Shipbuilders (1936/7 - 1938/9)
Mr W. Holmes	National Union of Agricultural Workers (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Mr George A. Isaacs	National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Joseph Jones	Mineworkers' Federation of Great Britain (1935/6 - 1938/9)
James Kaylor	Amalgamated Engineering Union (1938/9)
Mr W. Kean	National Union of Gold, Silver and Allied Trades (1936/7 - 1938/9)
Will Lawther	Mineworkers' Federation of Great Britain (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Anne Loughlin	National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers (1935/6 - 1938/9)
John Marchbank	National Union of Railwaymen (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Sir Arthur Pugh	Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (1935/6)
Arthur Shaw	National Union of Textile Workers (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Will Sherwood	National Union of General and Municipal Workers (1935/6 - 1936/7)
Mr W.R. Spence	National Union of Seamen (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Mr W.J.R. Squance	Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (1936/7 - 1938/9)
Mr W. Stott	Railway Clerks' Association (1936/7 - 1938/9)
George W. Thomson	Association of Engineering and Shipbuilding Draughtsmen (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Mr W.R. Townley	National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives (1935/6 - 1936/7)
Mr A.G. Walkden	Railway Clerks' Association (1935/6)
Mr F. Wolstencroft	Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers (1935/6 - 1938/9)
Mr W. Wood	Amalgamated Association of Operative Cotton Spinners and Twiners (1936/7 - 1937/8)

 

 

Membership of affiliated trade unions between 1936-1939

Figures are taken from the annual reports of proceedings of the Trades Union Congress for 1936, 1937, 1938 and 1939 [document reference: 292/PUB/4/1/36-39].

The total population in the United Kingdom was estimated to be 46,074,000 in 1931 and 48,216,000 in 1941 [House of Commons Library Research Paper 99/111].

Trade Group	Membership: 1936	Membership: 1937	Membership: 1938	Membership: 1939
Mining and quarrying:	523,860	544,705	566,126	602,678
Railways:	413,031	448,779	479,721	483,765
Transport (other than railways):	539,033	605,893	693,450	716,013
Shipbuilding:	73,480	77,541	82,476	85,950
Engineering, founding and vehicle building:	342,458	449,212	530,853	581,808
Iron and steel and minor metal trades:	109,774	119,178	139,707	142,567
Building, woodworking and furnishing:	303,867	326,619	353,593	379,959
Printing and paper:	161,319	168,793	178,648	187,288
Cotton:	189,857	185,385	191,032	182,170
Textiles (other than cotton):	108,076	104,771	110,004	105,693
Clothing:	85,959	91,792	107,145	114,308
Leather and boot and shoe:	96,363	101,995	105,384	106,647
Glass, pottery, chemicals, food, etc.:	249,975	275,472	318,470	337,249
Agriculture:	31,000	32,000	40,500	45,000
Public employees:	50,212	60,429	73,278	87,850
Non-manual workers:	54,157	74,310	82,684	90,923
General workers:	282,130	341,773	407,546	419,318
Total number of men:	3,197,221	3,557,717	3,932,215	4,116,601
Total number of women:	417,330	450,930	528,402	552,585
Total number of affiliated members:	3,614,551	4,008,647	4,460,617	4,669,186

 

Meetings of the TUC General Council between July 1936 - April 1939:

The following is a list of all meetings of the Trades Union Congress General Council held between July 1936 and April 1939. Some extracts of minutes and reports of meetings are included in the digitised TUC files relating to the Spanish Civil War. Where this is the case, links to the relevant documents have been included next to the date of the meeting. The full, official minutes of the TUC General Council are undigitised, but the originals can be seen at the Modern Records Centre [volumes covering September 1935 - September 1939: document reference: 292/20/20-23].

1936:
22 July	Extract from minutes.
28 August	Special meeting on Spain, held jointly with the Parliamentary Labour Party Executive Committee and the Labour Party National Executive Committee: detailed report; minutes.
3-11 September (during Congress)	Minutes of meeting on 9 September (including joint meeting with the Parliamentary Labour Party Executive Committee and the Labour Party National Executive Committee); detailed draft reports (no.1 and no.2) of joint meeting with the Parliamentary Labour Party Executive Committee and the Labour Party National Executive Committee on 9 September; minutes of meeting on 10 September; extracts from minutes (no.1, no.2 and no.3).
23 September	Extract from minutes.
28 October	Extract from minutes.
25 November	Extract from minutes (no.1 and no.2).
23 December	Extract from minutes.

 

1937:
27 January	Extract from minutes.
24 February	Extract from minutes.
9 March	Special meeting on Spain, held jointly with the Parliamentary Labour Party Executive Committee and the Labour Party Executive Committee: detailed reports (version no.1 and no.2); handwritten list of attendees; list of apologies.
24 March	Handwritten notes; extract from minutes.
28 April	Extract from minutes and statement on the bombing of Guernica.
26 May	No reference to Spain in the official minutes.
23 June	Extract from minutes; short draft report of debate on Spain.
28 July	Extract from minutes.
2-10 September (during Congress)	Extracts from minutes of meetings on 2 September (wrongly described as 3 September on the extract), 3 September and 8 September.
22 September	Extract from minutes.
27 October	No reference to Spain in the official minutes.
24 November	Extract from minutes.
22 December	No reference to Spain in the official minutes.

 

1938:
7 January	Special meeting on China, Palestine and Romania, held jointly with the Parliamentary Labour Party Executive Committee and the Labour Party Executive Committee.
20 January	Special meeting on China, held jointly with the Parliamentary Labour Party Executive Committee and the Labour Party Executive Committee.
26 January	No reference to Spain in the official minutes.
23 February	Meeting of the General Council, and separate special meeting on the international situation following the resignation of the Foreign Secretary, Anthony Eden, held jointly with the Parliamentary Labour Party Executive Committee and the Labour Party Executive Committee. No reference to Spain in the official minutes.
23 March	Minutes note the receipt of a telegram from the Scottish Ambulance Unit in Spain on the 'Barcelona bombardments'.
25 March	Special meeting of the General Council and separate special meeting on the international situation held jointly with the Parliamentary Labour Party Executive Committee and the Labour Party Executive Committee. No reference to Spain in the official minutes.
27 April	Extract from minutes.
25 May	The only reference to Spain in the official minutes is a passing reference included in a correction to the minutes of the National Council of Labour.
26 May	Meeting prior to a deputation to the Prime Minister re the acceleration of the rearmament programme.
22 June	Extracts from minutes (no.1 and no.2).
22 July	Special meeting on air raid precautionary matters affecting industry.
27 July	Extract from minutes.
1-9 September (during Congress)	Extracts from minutes of meetings on 1 September (no.1, no.2 and no.3), 2 September, 5 September (no.1 and no.2), 7 September, and 9 September.
21 September	Special meeting on the international situation held jointly with the Parliamentary Labour Party Executive Committee and the Labour Party Executive Committee. No reference to Spain in the official minutes.
28 September	Extract from minutes.
29 September	Special meeting due to the international crisis over Czechoslovakia.
26 October	Extract from minutes.
23 November	Extracts from minutes (no.1 and no.2).
7 December	Special meeting on National Service.
15 December	Special meeting on National Service.
19 December	Special meeting on National Service.
21 December	Extract from minutes.

 

1939
25 January	Extract from minutes.
22 February	No reference to Spain in the official minutes.
24 February	Held prior to deputation to the Prime Minister on the Trade Disputes and Trade Unions Act, 1927.
22 March	Meeting of the General Council and separate special meeting on Czechoslovakia held jointly with the Parliamentary Labour Party Executive Committee and the Labour Party Executive Committee.
23 March	Meeting of the General Council and separate special meeting on the international situation held jointly with the Parliamentary Labour Party Executive Committee and the Labour Party Executive Committee. No reference to Spain in the official minutes.
31 March	Special meeting prior to delegation to the Minister of Labour on industry in wartime.
5 April	Special meeting following delegation to the Minister of Labour on industry in wartime.
26 April	No reference to Spain in the official minutes.
27 April	Special meeting on conscription held jointly with the Parliamentary Labour Party Executive Committee and the Labour Party Executive Committee.