The Trade Union Group of Labour MPs is a British group of all Labour Members of Parliament who are members of trade unions that are affiliated to the British Labour Party. The group is a vehicle for promoting the voices of the trade unions in Parliament. The group meets regularly to discuss issues related to trade unions, keeping members informed via a web-based bulletin.
History The group was founded in 1926, in response to the increasing number of non-trade union sponsored MPs in the Labour Party. In 1929, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) became unhappy with the line of the Labour government on unemployment, and so it reformed the group in an attempt to put pressure on it. At the 1931 UK general election, almost all the Labour MPs were sponsored, so the group was suspended.
The group was revived in 1937, on a far more professional basis. It began liaising closely with the TUC, holding its own meetings after each meeting of the General Council of the TUC. It focused on discussion and information sharing, also bringing in visiting speakers from trade unions around the world, but did not attempt to lobby for any particular policies.
The group ceased operating again during World War II, and was not revived until 1954. focused on supporting the party's leadership against critics, often those on the left wing of the trade union movement. It also played a minor role in promoting industrial policies, and the role of working class experience in the party. It first played a leading role in opposing a specific policy when In Place of Strife was published, the trade unions concerned it was a threat to collective bargaining. It then led opposition to the Conservative Party's Industrial Relations Bill.
In the 1980s, the Trade Union Group became less important, becoming divided over the best line to take on industrial policy, and seeing splits between an increasing number of left-wing former manual workers, the traditional right, and those sponsored MPs without an industrial background. It focused on organising meetings and arranging speakers.
Ian Lavery, MP for Blyth and Ashington, is the current chair of the group. Anneliese Midgley, MP for Knowsley, is its Secretary.http://www.tradeuniongroup.com A Guide to Trade Union and Labour Party Links p8
Leadership Secretaries 1924: Thomas Mardy Jones c.1930: Joseph Gibbins 1931: Post vacant 1937: Rhys Davies 1939: Post vacant 1953: Charles Pannell 1964: Neil McBride 1966: Edwin Wainwright 1983: Don Dixon 1996: Gerry Sutcliffe 1998: Ian Davidson 2001: Frank Doran 2015: Katy Clark 2015: Jo Stevens 2024: Anneliese Midgley
Chairs 1924: Ben Tillett 1926: David Watts Morgan 1931: Post vacant 1937: William Dobbie 1939: Post vacant 1954: George Brown 1964: Ness Edwards 1969: James Hamilton 1971: Eric Varley 1974: Tom Urwin 1980s: 1994: David Clelland 1997: 2002: Tony Lloyd 2012: Ian Lavery
References