The RTUC is the focal point of the trade union movement in
Reading – and so much more. As well as local trade unions, the RTUC meets and
organises with groups and individuals from the Reading area who are committed
to supporting and improving the social, political and working conditions in the
local community and workplaces. We also celebrate important local events –
contemporary and historical – related to the Reading area which promote trade
unionism, workers’ rights and community causes. In addition to our affiliated
trade unions, the RTUC meetings and events have attracted members of such
groups as the People’s Assembly, the IWW, Acorn and Berkshire Antifascists.
Our programme of events has included joining the Junior
Doctors’ picket line at the Royal Berkshire Hospital (March-April), a
celebration of International Workers’ Day (May) and a ‘Question Time’-style
Q&A about the EU Referendum (May). Going forward, we have organised an
evening with Harry L. Smith (June) and a centenary picnic to celebrate the
successful 1916 Huntley & Palmer’s women’s strike (July). We have also sent
delegates to the People’s Assembly March against Austerity in London (April),
May Day celebrations in Glasgow (May) and Swindon Trades Union Council’s 90th
anniversary commemoration of the General Strike (May). In July we will join
other likeminded groups at the annual Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival in Dorset.
The RTUC is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress. To
affiliate your trade union to the RTUC (or for more information about its
activities), please contact our Secretary, Jim Parker (jamesparker7@me.com),
or visit our Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/ReadingTUC/). If you are
curious about the RTUC and would like to attend a meeting, we welcome
observers. If you find it interesting, we hope you will affiliate your trade
union to the RTUC or – if you are not a member of a trade union – we will be
pleased to assist you in finding one which suits your circumstances.
The Reading
Trades Union Council meets every second Tuesday of the month, 6pm-7.30pm, at
the Quaker Meeting House, Church Street (off London Road), Reading RG1 2SB.
Meetings are
followed by a convivial social time, when good-natured conversation is enjoyed
over drinks.
