The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a major UK trade union federation representing over 5.5 million workers in 48 affiliated unions. Established to serve as the collective voice of workers in Britain, the TUC’s mission centers on improving the quality of working life, promoting equality, and fostering trade union solidarity while cutting down wasteful rivalries among unions. At the European level, the TUC maintains a Brussels office to advance these objectives within EU political and policy frameworks, particularly through engagement with the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and other bodies.
Since registering with the EU Transparency Register on 10 February 2009 (ID: 77510791109-40), the TUC has focused its lobbying efforts on several critical EU policy areas. These include post-Brexit labor protections, the European Pillar of Social Rights, company law, the Posting of Workers Directive, and efforts to ensure predictable and transparent working conditions across the EU. In addition, it actively lobbies on trade policy, social dialogue, and industrial policy to influence European decision-making in favor of workers’ interests.
The TUC’s lobbying activities are designed to support the collective interests of its members, advocating for workers’ rights, fair labor standards, and social justice at the EU level. Financially, the TUC’s reported lobbying expenditure for the calendar year 2020 ranged between €100,000 and €199,999, with a similar spend expected in subsequent years, largely funded by grants including from the Erasmus+ program. The organization operates with approximately 0.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) lobbyists, including some experts accredited to the European Parliament, though details on current lobbyists are limited due to privacy regulations.
Networking is key to the TUC’s EU strategy. It is affiliated with major trade union bodies, including the European Trade Union Confederation, the International Trade Union Confederation, and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD, thereby amplifying its influence through collaborations and joint campaigns. This cooperation highlights a broad commitment to worker solidarity beyond national borders, particularly between the UK and EU workers.
In terms of EU institutional engagement, the TUC has held multiple high-level meetings—eight known with the European Commission in 2020 alone—reflecting active dialogue with EU officials to represent workers’ interests effectively. The TUC continues its lobbying efforts strategically as EU-UK relations evolve post-Brexit, emphasizing labor protections and the creation of quality jobs on both sides.
