Chelmsford TUC

Established 1899

Welcome to the Chelmsford & District Trades Union Council website

Chelmsford & District Trades Union Council is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Essex County Association of Trades Councils.

Its membership is made up of delegates from mainly locally based trade union branches that are affiliated to the TUC. Its aim is to promote the objectives of the TUC and to defend the interests of trade unionists and their families within Chelmsford.

We have a wide range of content on this site, including sections on labour and trade union boycotts, the history of the union and labour movements, working class culture, songs, poetry and literature, and politics, equal opportunities and workplace information, as well as many links to the wider labour movement. In the last 24 hours we have had 94 page views.

Latest News

Look at our latest Page featuring progressive and information video clips.

PUBLIC SERVICES NOT PRIVATE PROFIT PUBLIC RALLY

Chelmsford TUC will host a public meeting at 7.30pm on Wednesday 22nd September 2010, Christ Church, New London Road, Chelmsford.

SPEAKERS: Mark Freeman (Deputy General Secretary POA), Jon Rogers (NEC member, Unison pc), Manuel Cortes (Assistant General Secretary, TSSA. Fairtrade tea and coffee will be provided from 7pm.

Across every sector the Government is forcing public services into the private sector while scapegoating them for an economic crisis they did not create. Using its ’Big Society’ as a cover up, the Coalition Government will roll out widespread privatisation of our vital public services while pensions and conditions of employment for workers in the public sector suffer in a race to the bottom.

This is the first major public meeting in Essex that will enable people to voice their concern at the way in which the Government is intending to cut our social services.

Chelmsford people will suffer the disastrous effects of the recession with cuts and public service privatisation, while the bankers who caused it continue to rake in massive bonuses. In nearby Basildon, the Government threatens to establish a private prison. despite evidence that private prisons perform worse than those in the public sector. In education, Essex’s 5 academy schools look set to be joined by countless others after the Government rolls out its academy schools programme, despite widespread opposition from parents and teachers’ unions.

CLIMATE CHANGE: WHAT WE CAN DO IN CHELMSFORD

Eighty people attended our first meeting on Climate Change. We are now in the process of establishing Chelmsford as a Transition Town. If you are interested in getting involved telephone 01245601373.

Chelmsford TUC, Thompsons Solicitors, Unison, and Unite the Union, gave Venezuelan trade union leaders a wonderful reception when they came to Chelmsford as part of their national tour. Eglé Sanchez - General Secretary of the Venezuelan Graphic, Print and Paper Workers’ Union and Elias Rodriguez met the Mayor in his parlour, toured the town and after lunch visited Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. In the evening, they gave a talk at the offices of Thompsons Solicitors to trade unionists about the positive changes that are being made in Venezuela.

BREAK THE SIEGE ON GAZA

At the 2009 TUC delegates supported the General Council’s statement on Palestine which condemned the blockade of Gaza; an end to arms sales to Israel; to seek EU agreement to impose a ban on the importing of goods produced in the illegal settlements, and support moves to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement which provides preferential trade facilities to Israel. It also agreed to support a boycott of those goods and agricultural products that originate in illegal settlements - through developing an effective, targeted consumer-led boycott campaign working closely with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

YOU CAN HELP to Break the Siege on Gaza by Making a Pledge Today. at the Palestine Solidary Campaign website.

FOR LOCAL EVENTS

This is the page for you

OUR HISTORICAL RECORDS

Interested in local trade union movement documents and records or the campaigns that have taken place in Chelmsford over many years? We have recently placed all our records and many others related to our Movement in the Essex Record Office. It will take some time before they will be available to the public but you can see what we have deposited in our History Section.

We have all the latest news from the TUC, the Co-operative Movement, LabourStart and the Health & Safety NewsWire.

Chelmsford TUC, local political parties, community groups and leading local figures are in the forefront of a campaign to defeat racism and fascism within their community. Read our Statement against Racism and Fascism

If you are looking for a trade union conference centre or holiday,we can help you.

JULY MEETING

9 July 2010: Chelmsford TUC delegates, at their July meeting, discussed a number of issues affecting their place of work. They also received a report on the first event to establish Chelmsford as a Transition Town which was initiated by the Trades Council. They welcomed the proposals to set up an email network in order to build contacts before lauching an official group, and heard that the group would focus on pollution and traffic congestion.