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 181 page views.

Latest News

HELP US PROTECT PUBLIC SERVICES

Chelmsford TUC joined their PCS colleagues on the picket line at New London Road in order to defend their redundancy pay from being cut by the government. The government claims it can not prevent bankers’ bonuses being paid because they are contractual, but appears happy to rip up the rights of its own employees. The real question is, of course, why should public services and their employees pay for an economic crisis that is not of their making?

CLIMATE CHANGE: WHAT WE CAN DO IN CHELMSFORD

Eighty people attended our meeting on Climate Change which was supported by thirty groups; twenty of these had display tables. The speakers were Helen Franzen, Climate Change Contractor, United Nations Association of the UK, Katy Wright Oxfam, and Dr. Steve Willoughby, Co-ordinator of Walden in Transition.

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.

Take 60 seconds to contact your Prospective Parliamentary candidates and ask them their views on Cuba!

Go to www.britainandcuba.org and enter your postcode. The website will instantly find your Parliamentary candidates for you. After you have contacted your candidates please forward this message on.

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

CHELMSFORD TAXI DRIVERS DESERVE A BETTER DEAL

Chelmsford TUC is supporting the local GMB branch whose members are professional drivers in the Private Hire and Hackney Carriage industry. For years they have been calling on Chelmsford Council to take action on their many problems. These include concern about cab ranks, the number of licensed cabs, council toleration of illegal and unlicensed cab touts and excessive licensing fees. We share the GMB’s view that if Chelmsford Borough Council continues to ignore the result of their policies and issue licenses into an already overly saturated market then everyone will suffer. Their strike deserves the support of all Chelmsfordians.

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.

MARCH GENERAL MEETING

4 March 2010: Delegates to Chelmsford TUC had a very hard working business meeting and concluded the evening by marking Fairtrade Fortnight with a tasting of Fairtrade products donated by The Co-operative. After receiving reports dealing with several workplace issues, including those from the fire service, National Express and Essex County Council, a full discussion took place about the financial problems facing the Mid Essex Hospitals Trust. It was also noted, with disappointment, that domestic violence courses within the Trust have been discontinued.