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How is the TUC accountable to its affiliates?

The TUC is a democratic organisation. Its overall policy is determined by the unions which make up the organisation and it is accountable to these unions for its policies and campaigns. The structure of the TUC ensures that unions can have a say in what the TUC says and does.

• Structure of decision making at the TUC
• Congress
• The General Council
• The Executive
• Task groups, committees and conferences
• Trades Union Councils
• Centres for the Unemployed

Structure of decision making at the TUC

The TUC's decision-making structure can be viewed graphically, as below.

Congress
General Council
Executive
Task Groups	Committees	Conferences

Congress

The policy making body of the TUC is the annual Congress which meets for four days each year during September. Each affiliated union can send delegates to Congress - the larger the union, the more it can send. Overall about 1,000 union members attend each year.

At Congress, 'motions' (resolutions for debate) are proposed and discussed. These form the basis of the TUC's work for the next year.

Image: Delegates vote in favour of a motion at the 2003 Congress. Credit: TUC

The General Council

Between each Congress, the TUC is run by the General Council. Its role is to oversee the work programme for the year and agree new policies and actions which come up on a regular basis.

The General Council is composed of senior representatives from TUC unions. Some General Council members are elected, others are nominated depending on the size of the union. Some seats are allocated to the smaller unions, some to black representatives, and some specifically to women. At present the General Council numbers 48 people, plus the TUC General Secretary.

The Executive

The Executive is responsible for the day to day business of the TUC. Every month it meets to develop and implement TUC policy, manage the TUC's financial affairs and deal with any urgent action.

The Executive reports to the General Council and its membership is determined by the General Council immediately after Congress.

Task groups, committees and conferences

The TUC has a number of task groups which are responsible for specific work topics, such as recruitment and public services. These groups consist of union officials and TUC staff and report to the General Council.

They also have committees and conferences to represent specific groups of people in the trade union movement. For example, there's a Women's Committee, a Race Relations Committee and a Pensioners Committee, and a Women's Conference and a Black Worker's Conference.

Trades Union Councils

The TUC is also represented at local level by trades union councils which bring together affiliated union branches in their area. A register of trades union councils is kept by the TUC. A Trades Union Councils Joint Consultative Committee reports to the General Council on developments both in trades union councils and their county level associations.

Centres for the Unemployed

A network of 107 TUC Centres for the Unemployed provide advice and assistance on welfare rights, education and representation.

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