File S/16 - Labour Party Wales/Wales Trades Union Congress/Welsh Group Liaison Committee

The Wales Trades Union Council/Cyngor Undebau Llafur Cymru (Wales TUC) was established by constitution in 1974 at an Inaugural Conference in Aberystwyth. It was created by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in response to campaigning by Tom Jones, Shotton (Transport & General Workers' Union), Dai Francis (National Union of Mineworkers) and Harold Jones of Plaid Cymru Trade Union Group to provide a specifically Welsh national forum for campaigning on labour issues. George Wright, then Regional Secretary of the Transport & General Workers' Union (TGWU), was elected to serve as the first General Secretary of the Wales TUC. He held the post on a voluntary, part-time basis until 1983. He was succeeded by David Jenkins (1984-2004) and Felicity Williams (2004-2008). The organisation was structured into an Annual Conference, a General Council, meeting quarterly, an Executive Committee, and sub-committees for Economic & Industrial Development, Transport & Communications, Finance & General Purposes, Health, Welfare & Social Services, and Local Government, Housing & Education. In 1980, the structure was amended, so that there were four main committees, Economic Policy, Social Policy, General Purposes and Executive, and seven subordinate committees: advisory committees for Technology, Coal and Steel, Pensioners, Arts, Campaign for Economic & Social Advance, Women's, and a Labour Party Liaison Committee. The major role of the Wales TUC is to co-ordinate the trade union approach to the National Assembly of Wales to ensure that the interests of Welsh trade unionists are properly represented in the government decision-making process. Wales TUC continues to work actively in areas such as economic strategy, social policy, employment law, devolution, education and a wide range of equality issues. Currently the Wales TUC has a regional structure which reflects the four economic regions of Wales (North Wales, Mid Wales, South West Wales and South East Wales) and matches the regional committee areas of the National Assembly. These committees are responsible for the delivery of Wales TUC policy and campaigns in each region and also for liaising with local government. Martin Mansfield is the current General Secretary (2012).