Poverty / Social Exclusion

This page deals with poverty in the UK. Union and their members have always been concerned about poverty - William Beveridge called the TUC “the godfathers of the Beveridge report”.

Before the welfare state, many unions ran welfare services that were often the only place working people could turn to in times of need. Our experience of the problems with these services – unions simply weren’t big enough or rich enough to meet the standards we set for ourselves - meant that we became one of the main forces for the creation of social security. After Beveridge, unions negotiated strong occupational pension schemes that have helped this country to reduce the number of pensioners in poverty. Union members have been leaders in campaigns to defend the welfare state and have supported charities and voluntary organisations that have filled the gaps where the welfare state is patchy.

Here there are links to facts and arguments for trade unionists interested in or campaigning against poverty


The most recent documents available on this subject are:

Hundreds march through Middlesbrough

Over 500 people joined the Middlesbrough March for the Alternative on Saturday 27 April, to protest against the government's failed economic austerity measures and the disproportionate impact on Teesside and the North East. Organised by the Tees Vall...

30 April 2013
Work and Pensions Secretary guilty again of peddling benefit myths, says TUC

Responding to the latest Department for Work and Pensions statistics published today (Wednesday) on the duration of working-age benefits, TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said:

24 April 2013
North East Sharkstoppers launch a campaign with teeth to combat legal loan sharks

This Sunday (24th February) will see the regional Sharkstoppers campaign begin in earnest with a high profile event at Grey's Monument in Newcastle. Concerned local people from a range of organisations including the TUC, trade unions, the Citizens Ad...

21 February 2013
Extortion must be stopped

A rapidly escalating consequence of the dire economic and impoverished situation many people in the north east find themselves in is the abhorrent exploitation of finance providers such as payday loans, legal loan sharks and credit organisations prov...

3 December 2012
Valuing all people

New environments can create new language. In the government-led assault on welfare benefits 'scroungerphobia' is gaining traction; otherwise sensible people developing a genuine disdain for all benefit recipients, an attitude which fails to apprecia...

19 November 2012
Government is ducking its commitment to child poverty, says TUC

Responding to today's (Thursday) speech on child poverty by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, the TUC has accused the government of ignoring the facts behind the problem.

15 November 2012



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