A Brief History of the Liaison Committee
“THEN - AS NOW, TRADE UNION FREEDOM MATTERS”!
The LCDTU was born in the mid 1960’s when the Labour Government of the day wanted an “incomes freeze”. In 1966 George Brown introduced a Bill which made it unlawful to action on wages, or for an employer to pay a wage increase before it was vetted by the Prices and Incomes Board. This action led to strikes across Britain and a Lobby of Parliament by thousands of workers.
The organising committee behind the Lobby met afterwards and established a permanent committee, called the “Liaison Committee for the Defence of Trade Unions”. The LCDTU did not have an easy beginning, for whilst it won great approval from lay delegates at national, regional, divisional, local and branch levels, it was condemned by some unions.
In 1968, the Donovan Commission called for legislation to limit trade union powers. A Conference in July that year organised by the LCDTU called for its rejection. Then, Barbara Castle went further than Donovan in publishing “In Place Of Strife”. The Liaison Committee pressed for, and won, a recall of the TUC. Strikes occurred in many parts of the country and the TUC set out its opposition to the proposed Bill. This action led to the successful withdrawal of “In Place Of Strife”, which was seen as a plain and simple anti-union measure.
And so the LCDTU was born in struggle. It fought against and opposed Ted Heath’s Industrial Relations Act of the early 1970’s. It opposed the vicious anti-union laws set out by Margaret Thatcher, Nicholas Ridley, Norman Tebbit and Keith Joseph amongst other Tories in the late 1970’s, through the 1980’s and into the 1990’s. The LCDTU, whilst welcoming some of the early actions of New Labour such as ending the ban on unions at GCHQ and signing the Social Chapter of Europe, has continued to campaign for Trade Union Freedom in the UK. This requires the full Repeal of all anti-union laws passed by the Conservative governments of the 1980’s and 1990’s, the observance of all core ILO Conventions, particularly Conventions 87 and 98 which guarantee the Freedom of Association, the Right to Collective Bargaining and the Right to Organise.
The Liaison Committee today is rebuilding itself, re-organising itself to grow in influence and strength in support of Shop Stewards and Reps, union activists and the trade unions generally. It is now much less about incomes policy and much more about the fight for Trade Union Freedom, both in the UK and in the European Union.
Trade Union Freedom Matters!
Today, with LCDTU Area Conferences, with our Shop Stewards and Supporters Meetings, with our news bulletin and re-launched website, with support from progressive Lawyers and MP’s, with the active support of many national unions, the TUC, Shop Stewards Committees and activists, and with new LCDTU Area Groups, the Liaison Committee is determined to lead the way in the battle for Trade Union Freedom, for extending collective bargaining across the UK and for supporting unions and activists in their struggles for justice and dignity.
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