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Community (trade union)
Encyclopedia
Community is a UK trade union representing workers in the iron and steel, domestic appliance manufacturing, clothing, textiles, footwear and betting industries as well as workers in voluntary organisations, workshops for visually impaired and disabled people, community-care providers and housing associations. Community has merged or transferred engagements with a number of smaller unions, some of which have become sections within Community. These include the National League of the Blind and Disabled (NLBD), the National Union of Domestic Appliance and General Operatives (NUDAGO), the Knitwear, Footwear and Apparel Trades (KFAT) and the British Union of Social Work Employees (BUSWE).
Community actively participates in the Trades Union Congress
and Community General Secretary Michael Leahy served as TUC President in 2010/2011. The union supports the New Unionism project of the TUC, particularly the TUC organising academy.
When Community was formed from the merger of KFAT and the ISTC in 2004 it was arranged for the first new member of the newly constituted union to be the then UK Chancellor of the Exchequer (and future Prime Minister), Gordon Brown
.
(ISTC) and the National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades
(KFAT). Occurring on July 1, 2004, Community began advocating ‘Community Unionism’ which dictates that the union directs effort not only towards improving conditions in the workplace but also in the general community in which members live.
The ISTC was later joined by the Amalgamated Association of Steel & Iron Workers of Great Britain in 1920 and the Tin and Sheet Millmens Association in 1921. The Wire Workers Union joined in 1922, but withdrew in 1924. The Wire Workers Union rejoined in 1991. In 1985 the National Union of Blast-furnace-men joined the ISTC.
However the decline of British manufacturing jobs in these industries led the union to diversify its membership merging with the National League of the Blind and Disabled (NLBD) in 1999 and the Power Loom Carpet Weavers and Textile Workers Union (PLCWTWU) in 2000.
(KFAT) was formed in 1991 by the merger of the National Union of Hosiery and Knitwear Workers (NUHKW) with National Union of Footwear, Leather and Allied Trades (NUFLAT).
NUFLAT had been formed in 1873 following a meeting of various regional associations. The history of the NUHKW can be traced back to 1776 and the formation of the Stocking Makers Association in Nottingham.
The NLBD campaigned for disabled people from formation and in 1920 lobbied parliament successfully to introduce the world's first piece of blind person specific legislation, the 1920 blind person act. This tradition of advocacy contributed to the creation of the Disability Rights Commission and the 2005 Disability Discrimination Act.
BUSWE (the British Union of Social Work Employees) originated in 1976 when a group of social workers in Yorkshire met to form a breakaway organisation from the local government white collar union (NALGO) and the Professional Association (the British Association of Social Workers
) - the National Union of Social Workers (NUSW) was the result. This prompted BASW to set up its own trade union arm (the British Union of Social Workers) but both NUSW and BUSW failed to make much impact as they were not recognised by the TUC (or the local authorities, who employ the vast majority of Social Workers) and virtually all social workers in local government remained in NALGO. NUSW and BUSW eventually merged (to form the British Union of Social Work Employees) and in 1985 employed a full-time General Secretary; former GMWU officer Stan Crawshaw. After a period of instability in the early 1990s BUSWE managed to record modest growth in the period 1996-7 without merging with another union (while virtually all TUC affiliated unions were still losing members). Their merger with Community in 2008 brought BUSWE members back into a TUC affiliated union. In a strange case of history repeating itself, BASW decided in 2011 to set up yet another trade union arm (this time called the "Social Workers' Union") but this body has no connection whatsoever with BUSWE branches within Community.
At a national level, Community is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress
(TUC), Scottish Trades Union Congress
(STUC) and Wales TUC
.
At a European level, Community affiliates to the European Trade Union Confederation
(ETUC), European Metalworkers' Federation
(EMF), European Trade Union Federation - Textiles, Clothing & Leather (ETUF-TCL) and UNI-Europa.
At an international level, Community affiliates to the International Trade Union Confederation
(ITUC), International Metalworkers' Federation
(IMF), International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation
(ITGLWF) and UNI-Global
.
The Sections are:
Community is governed by the National Executive Council NEC of 21 members, the General Secretary and Deputy General Secretary. This body is elected for three year terms with each region being allocated NEC seats proportionally. There are also three seats reserved for women members, one for members with disabilities and one for ethnic minority members.
Each year the NEC elects one member to serve one year as Vice-President and then a further year as President.
The day to day business of the union is conducted by the General Secretary, Deputy General Secretary, two National Officers and four Regional Directors.
The Current General Secretary is Michael J. Leahy OBE, who served as General Secretary of the ISTC prior to the merger in 2004. Michael Leahy was elected as General Secretary of the ISTC in 1998 and re-elected as Community's General Secretary in 2008.
Community actively participates in the Trades Union Congress
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
and Community General Secretary Michael Leahy served as TUC President in 2010/2011. The union supports the New Unionism project of the TUC, particularly the TUC organising academy.
When Community was formed from the merger of KFAT and the ISTC in 2004 it was arranged for the first new member of the newly constituted union to be the then UK Chancellor of the Exchequer (and future Prime Minister), Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
.
History
Community was formed from a merger of the Iron and Steel Trades ConfederationIron and Steel Trades Confederation
The Iron and Steel Trades Confederation was a British trade union for metal-workers and allied groups. It was formed on 1 January 1917 as a merger of existing steel-workers' unions and it is now part of Community.- History :...
(ISTC) and the National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades
National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades
The National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades was a trade union in the United Kingdom.It was formed in 1991 through the amalgamation of the National Union of Hosiery and Knitwear Workers and the National Union of the Footwear, Leather and Allied Trades...
(KFAT). Occurring on July 1, 2004, Community began advocating ‘Community Unionism’ which dictates that the union directs effort not only towards improving conditions in the workplace but also in the general community in which members live.
Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (ISTC)
The Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (ISTC) was constituted on 1 January 1917 from a merger of the British Steel Smelters, Mill, Iron and Tinplate Workers, The Associated Iron and Steel Workers of Great Britain and the National Steel Workers’ Association Engineering and Labour League.The ISTC was later joined by the Amalgamated Association of Steel & Iron Workers of Great Britain in 1920 and the Tin and Sheet Millmens Association in 1921. The Wire Workers Union joined in 1922, but withdrew in 1924. The Wire Workers Union rejoined in 1991. In 1985 the National Union of Blast-furnace-men joined the ISTC.
However the decline of British manufacturing jobs in these industries led the union to diversify its membership merging with the National League of the Blind and Disabled (NLBD) in 1999 and the Power Loom Carpet Weavers and Textile Workers Union (PLCWTWU) in 2000.
National Union of Knitwear, Footwear and Apparel Trades (KFAT)
The National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel TradesNational Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades
The National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades was a trade union in the United Kingdom.It was formed in 1991 through the amalgamation of the National Union of Hosiery and Knitwear Workers and the National Union of the Footwear, Leather and Allied Trades...
(KFAT) was formed in 1991 by the merger of the National Union of Hosiery and Knitwear Workers (NUHKW) with National Union of Footwear, Leather and Allied Trades (NUFLAT).
NUFLAT had been formed in 1873 following a meeting of various regional associations. The history of the NUHKW can be traced back to 1776 and the formation of the Stocking Makers Association in Nottingham.
National League of the Blind and the Disabled (NLBD)
The NLBD is the oldest organisation of disabled people in the world. It was formed as a trade union in 1899.The NLBD campaigned for disabled people from formation and in 1920 lobbied parliament successfully to introduce the world's first piece of blind person specific legislation, the 1920 blind person act. This tradition of advocacy contributed to the creation of the Disability Rights Commission and the 2005 Disability Discrimination Act.
British Union of Social Work Employees (BUSWE)
In 2008 the membership of BUSWE voted in favour of a transfer of engagements to Community.BUSWE (the British Union of Social Work Employees) originated in 1976 when a group of social workers in Yorkshire met to form a breakaway organisation from the local government white collar union (NALGO) and the Professional Association (the British Association of Social Workers
British Association of Social Workers
The British Association of Social Workers is the largest professional association of social workers and care managers in the United Kingdom. The association has a members' code of ethics that outlines best social work practice and works to support social workers and care managers through...
) - the National Union of Social Workers (NUSW) was the result. This prompted BASW to set up its own trade union arm (the British Union of Social Workers) but both NUSW and BUSW failed to make much impact as they were not recognised by the TUC (or the local authorities, who employ the vast majority of Social Workers) and virtually all social workers in local government remained in NALGO. NUSW and BUSW eventually merged (to form the British Union of Social Work Employees) and in 1985 employed a full-time General Secretary; former GMWU officer Stan Crawshaw. After a period of instability in the early 1990s BUSWE managed to record modest growth in the period 1996-7 without merging with another union (while virtually all TUC affiliated unions were still losing members). Their merger with Community in 2008 brought BUSWE members back into a TUC affiliated union. In a strange case of history repeating itself, BASW decided in 2011 to set up yet another trade union arm (this time called the "Social Workers' Union") but this body has no connection whatsoever with BUSWE branches within Community.
Affiliations
Community is affiliated to a number of national, European and International union structures.At a national level, Community is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
(TUC), Scottish Trades Union Congress
Scottish Trades Union Congress
The Scottish Trades Union Congress is the co-ordinating body of trade unions, and local Trades Councils, in Scotland. With 39 affiliated unions as of 2007, the STUC represents around 630,000 trade unionists....
(STUC) and Wales TUC
Wales TUC
The Wales TUC is the co-ordinating body of trade unions in Wales. With over 50 affiliated unions as of 2006, the Wales TUC represents nearly half a million workers trade unionists....
.
At a European level, Community affiliates to the European Trade Union Confederation
European Trade Union Confederation
The European Trade Union Confederation is a trade union organization which was established in 1973 to represent workers and their national affiliates at the European level....
(ETUC), European Metalworkers' Federation
European Metalworkers' Federation
The European Metalworkers' Federation , founded in 1971, is a federation of 68 metalworkers' unions from 31 countries, representing a combined total of 6.5 million affiliates. It is based in Brussels, Belgium, and the general secretary is Peter Scherrer....
(EMF), European Trade Union Federation - Textiles, Clothing & Leather (ETUF-TCL) and UNI-Europa.
At an international level, Community affiliates to the International Trade Union Confederation
International Trade Union Confederation
The International Trade Union Confederation is the world's largest trade union federation. It was formed on November 1, 2006 out of the merger of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the World Confederation of Labour...
(ITUC), International Metalworkers' Federation
International Metalworkers' Federation
International Metalworkers' Federation is a global union federation of metalworkers' trade unions, founded in Zürich, Switzerland in August 1893...
(IMF), International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation
International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation
The International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation is a global union federation. , it has 217 member organizations in 110 countries, representing a combined membership of over 10 million workers....
(ITGLWF) and UNI-Global
Union Network International
UNI Global Union is a global union federation for skills and services, gathering national and regional trade unions. It was launched on January 1, 2000. Its more than 900 affiliated unions in 140 countries have 20 million members...
.
Structure
Community is organised into 8 regions and has several industrial sections. The regions are:- Scotland and Northern Ireland,
- North East England,
- Yorkshire and Humberside,
- North West England and North Wales,
- West Midlands
- South Wales and South West England
- East Midlands
- London and South East England
The Sections are:
- Steel, Wire and Domestic Appliance Workers (within which is a separate structure for members in Corus (Tata Steel EuropeTata Steel EuropeTata Steel Europe is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest steel-maker in Europe and is a subsidiary of Tata Steel of India, one of the ten largest steel producers in the world.Corus Group was formed through the merger of Koninklijke...
) - the UK's largest steel manufacturer).
- Betting Shop Worker's
- BUSWE Section - this has now been fully merged into the union but some branches retain the BUSWE designation and there is a distinct branch structure for members employed by the NSPCCNSPCCThe National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is a United Kingdom charity campaigning and working in child protection.-History:...
.
- Textile, Garment, Knitwear, Footwear and Leather Workers
- National League of the Blind and Disabled - this section retains its own Nationl Committee and has a National Secretary (who is also Deputy General Secretary of Community).
Community is governed by the National Executive Council NEC of 21 members, the General Secretary and Deputy General Secretary. This body is elected for three year terms with each region being allocated NEC seats proportionally. There are also three seats reserved for women members, one for members with disabilities and one for ethnic minority members.
Each year the NEC elects one member to serve one year as Vice-President and then a further year as President.
The day to day business of the union is conducted by the General Secretary, Deputy General Secretary, two National Officers and four Regional Directors.
Office Holders
Community held its first elections for national office holders in October-November 2008.General Secretary
General Secretaries are elected for five year terms by the ordinary members of the union.The Current General Secretary is Michael J. Leahy OBE, who served as General Secretary of the ISTC prior to the merger in 2004. Michael Leahy was elected as General Secretary of the ISTC in 1998 and re-elected as Community's General Secretary in 2008.