Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation
Encyclopedia
The Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation (TULO) is a labour organisation in the United Kingdom
that was set up in 1994 by a motion to the Labour Party
's Annual Conference
. It had several forerunning organisations that coordinated trade union
support for the Labour Party at election times such as trade unions for a Labour Victory and Trade Unionists For Labour. TULO is different in that, as a more formal organisation, it serves the dual purposes of not only coordinating trade union support for the Labour Party at elections, but also of acting as the channel of communication between the Party and its union partners on an ongoing basis.
Since 2002, the role of TULO has become more proactive in its activities.
Politically, TULO has become more vocal as a basis for trade union policies within the Labour Party, including employment rights, support for British manufacturing
, opposition to the Private Finance Initiative
, and better pensions. This activity led to the formulation of the Warwick Agreement
(2004) between the party and its affiliated trade unions, which formed the basis for much of the 2005 Labour Manifesto.
The organisation has also become the leading organisation in developing new forms of union campaigning, predominantly through the mobilisation of trade unionists in marginal parliamentary constituencies. This is considered to have increased Labour's majority by 15 seats in the 2005 General Election
.
TULO has been especially active on the issue of party funding, where it has sought to protect the engagement of trade unions in politics and to defend the role of the trade unions inside the Labour Party against the Conservative Party
.
.
The TULO National Officer since 2002 has been Byron Taylor, a former trade union officer. The TULO Regional Officer since 2006 has been Helen Symons.
The National Trade Union Labour Party Liaison Organisation Committee comprises:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that was set up in 1994 by a motion to the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
's Annual Conference
Labour Party (UK) Conference
The Labour Party Conference, or annual national conference of the Labour Party, is formally the supreme decision-making body of the Party.-Conference decisions:...
. It had several forerunning organisations that coordinated trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
support for the Labour Party at election times such as trade unions for a Labour Victory and Trade Unionists For Labour. TULO is different in that, as a more formal organisation, it serves the dual purposes of not only coordinating trade union support for the Labour Party at elections, but also of acting as the channel of communication between the Party and its union partners on an ongoing basis.
Since 2002, the role of TULO has become more proactive in its activities.
Politically, TULO has become more vocal as a basis for trade union policies within the Labour Party, including employment rights, support for British manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
, opposition to the Private Finance Initiative
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
, and better pensions. This activity led to the formulation of the Warwick Agreement
Warwick Agreement
The Warwick Agreement is the name of a document agreed in July 2004 to the 2005 General Election between many of Britain's main trade unions and the Labour Party, which helped form Labour's 2005 election manifesto....
(2004) between the party and its affiliated trade unions, which formed the basis for much of the 2005 Labour Manifesto.
The organisation has also become the leading organisation in developing new forms of union campaigning, predominantly through the mobilisation of trade unionists in marginal parliamentary constituencies. This is considered to have increased Labour's majority by 15 seats in the 2005 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
.
TULO has been especially active on the issue of party funding, where it has sought to protect the engagement of trade unions in politics and to defend the role of the trade unions inside the Labour Party against the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.
National TULO Committee
There are 16 trade unions currently affiliated to the Labour Party at national level. On affiliation to the Labour Party, every union automatically becomes a member of the National Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation and its General Secretary is entitled to sit on the National TULO Committee, if they are an individual member of the Labour Party. The Committee is jointly chaired by a member from the union side, currently Tony Dubbins, and the Labour Party Chair, Harriet HarmanHarriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
.
The TULO National Officer since 2002 has been Byron Taylor, a former trade union officer. The TULO Regional Officer since 2006 has been Helen Symons.
The National Trade Union Labour Party Liaison Organisation Committee comprises:
- General Secretaries of all Labour's affiliated unions
- Labour Party Leader
- Labour Party Deputy Leader
- General Secretary of the Party
- Deputy General Secretary of the Party
- Nominee from the trade union Group of MPs
- Nominee from the trade union Group of MEPMember of the European ParliamentA Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
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