Trade union

A union (labor union in American English; trade union in British English and Australian English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is an organisation formed by workers. Most typically, a single union will represent workers in a particular industry (industrial unionism) or craft (craft unionism), within all or part of a country. Unions are often divided into "locals" and united in national federations. Typical examples, depending on the country, could be all the assembly workers for one employer, all the teachers in a local school district, or all the workers in a particular industry.

Trade unions in Britain

The legal status of trade unions in the United Kingdom was established by a Royal Commission in 1867, which agreed that the establishment of the organisations was to the advantage of both employers and employees. Most British unions are members of the TUC, the Trades Union Congress, and where appropriate, the Scottish Trades Union Congress and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, which are the country's principal national trade union centers. The Labour Party arose from the organised labour movement and still has extensive links with it. Margaret Thatcher's governments weakened the powers of the unions in the 1980s and some within the British trades union movement criticise Tony Blair's Labour government for not reversing some of Thatcher's changes since taking office in 1997.

Related Topics:
Royal Commission - Trades Union Congress - Scottish Trades Union Congress - Irish Congress of Trade Unions - National trade union center - Margaret Thatcher - 1980s - Tony Blair - 1997

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