Trades Union Congress (UK 2018)

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[press release]
Royal Mail Issues Special Commemorative Sheet To Mark 150th Anniversary Of The Trades Union Congress

  • Founded in 1868, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) is the world’s oldest national trade union organization
  • The Commemorative Sheet features 10 existing 1st Class Wax Seal stamps alongside images of pivotal moments in the TUC’s history
  • The sheets are a limited edition of 5,000 – each of them numbered
  • The TUC’s first meeting took place from 2-6 June, 1868, in Manchester and was attended by 34 delegates
  • The legal status of the TUC was recognised following the passing of the Trade Union Act (1871)
  • Its original aims were to win a shorter working day, training and free education for all and representation in Parliament
  • The TUC currently represents more than 5.5 million workers across the UK
  • Today the TUC runs and manages a learning programme that supports 250,000 union members
  • The stamp sheet is available now from www.royalmail.com/TUC150 priced at £15.95

Royal Mail today launched a Commemorative Sheet to mark the 150th anniversary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC). Founded in 1868, the TUC is the world’s oldest, national independent trade union organisation.

The first TUC meeting was held when the Manchester and Salford Trades Council convened the founding meeting in the Manchester Mechanics’ Institute. Its original aims were to win a shorter working day, training and free education for all, and – at a time when most working-class people were denied a voice – representation in Parliament.

The Commemorative Sheet features 10 existing 1st Class Seal stamps alongside images that depict pivotal moments in the TUC’s 150-year history. These key events include the 1888 strike by women from the Bryant & May match factory in London in protest at poor working conditions. Their demands were met three weeks later. The Equal Pay Campaign of 1968 saw female workers at Ford car plants in Dagenham strike to demand the lower ‘women’s rate’ of pay be abolished. It was, and their efforts went on to inspire similar protests around the country.

The sheet also includes an illustrated folder telling the story of the TUC, its forerunners and its evolution to the present day organisation that represents 5.5 million workers across the UK.

TUC General Secretary, Frances O’Grady said: “The commemorative sheet is a wonderful way to mark the TUC’s big anniversary, and we are honoured that working people have been recognised in this way. The pack is full of inspiring stories about people who made Britain better for working people over the last 150 years.

“It’s a reminder too that trade unionists have come from many different occupations and backgrounds. As the world of work changes, trade unions are needed more than ever to make sure every job is a good job and every working person gets the respect they deserve.”

The stamp sheet is on sale now priced at £15.95 and available at www.royalmail.com/TUC150

Left hand side — Top down:

  1. Tolpuddle Martyrs – in 1834 six Dorset Workers – all members of the Grand National Consolidated Trades Union (GNCTU) were sentenced to deportation to Australia after being guilty of ‘administering unlawful oaths’.
  2. London Match Women – in 1888 women from the Bryant & May match factory in east London went on strike in protest at the poor working conditions. Their demands were met three weeks later.
  3. Dock Workers’ Strike – the success of the London Dock Strike (1889), which involved 100,000 dockers, strengthened the union movement among dockers and many other workers.
  4. Order of Industrial Heroism – the Order of Industrial Heroism was instituted in 1923 by the Daily Herald (a TUC owned newspaper) to honour people who had saved colleagues’ lives.
  5. Paid Holidays for Workers – the TUC had long lobbied for workers’ paid holiday. In 1938, the Holidays with Pay Act recommended the gradual introduction of an annual week long holiday.

Right hand side — Top down

  1. Supporting the War Effort – during the Second World War, the TUC and affiliated unions raised money for 50 mobile canteens to serve British forces abroad or in isolated locations at home.
  2. Founding of the NHS – the TUC was described as ‘the Godfathers of the Beveridge Report’, which set out a social legislation programme that led to the founding of the NHS.
  3. Equal Pay Campaigning – in 1968, strikes by women sewing machinists at two Ford car plants led to the lower women’s rate’ of pay being abolished and inspired similar protests.
  4. Grunwick Industrial Dispute – Asian and black women workers at a film-processing laboratory began a two-year protest against managerial mistreatment in 1976 and received wide support.
  5. Health and Safety – to ensure that workers are protected in the workplace, the TUC and unions strive to provide high-calibre resources and training for trade union safety reps.