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What we do

We’re the TUC. We were founded in 1868, and we bring together more than 5.5 million working people who make up our 48 member unions.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. Working people joining together can change things. For more than 150 years, unions have fought for safer workplaces and wages you can build a life on. And today we’re needed more than ever to make sure every job is a decent job and everyone at work is treated with respect.


Our vision

The TUC is the voice of Britain at work. We exist to improve working life and promote equality for everyone.

Our mission

The TUC brings together more than 5.5 million working people who belong to our 48 member unions. We support trade unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living. Every day, we campaign for more and better jobs, and a more equal, more prosperous country.

What we do 

The TUC’s job is to:

  • Support trade unions to grow and thrive, helping them represent their members and keep pace with the changing world of work
  • stand up for everyone who works for a living, by publishing research and evidence, and campaigning for changes to the law and in society.
  • advocate for collective bargaining, trade unionism and putting working people at the heart of our society, economy and politics
  • help union members get on in life, through running and managing learning and skills programmes.

Our values guide us in all our work. We stand for equality, fairness and justice, and for dignity and respect for all working people. We believe in solidarity: that working people can achieve more acting together than they can do on their own. And we are internationalists, acting with trade unionists around the world to promote working people’s interests.


Our people

The TUC team works in Congress House in London, in Brussels, and across England and Wales. 

We’re led by our General Secretary, Paul Nowak, and supported by our Assistant General Secretary, Kate Bell.

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