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TULO is built upon the principle of strengthening the link between the Labour Party and its affiliated unions at every level. It has been said time and again that ‘all politics is local’, and that is certainly the case when it comes to building a vibrant and effective partnership between the unions and the Party.
The TULO Handbook is designed to facilitate that process, and contains a wealth of resources for local activists to establish and develop strong relationships between their CLP and local unions, for the benefit of all concerned.
Whilst it is primarily intended to support the work of Trade Union Liaison Officers in CLPs and TULO Co-ordinators appointed from the unions at election time, the Handbook could just as easily be used by other CLP Officers and activists, or MPs or other elected representatives and their staff to build the link. It contains a menu of activities that can be undertaken by activists in constituencies – including those that are just beginning the process of establishing relations between the unions and the Party, and those where those links already exist, and need to be strengthened and utilised.
Over recent years, TULO has played a key role in delivering electoral success for the Labour Party, including at the 2005 General Election. In 2006, TULO piloted its new electoral strategy at the local elections in London with considerable success.
That strategy will be rolled out across the country over the coming months, and the process of building the link at a local and regional level will be at its heart. Whether it’s organising Policy Forums for trade unionists, MPs’ visits to workplaces, or encouraging branch affiliations to CLPs– increasing dialogue between union members and the Party is essential.
This Handbook is split into a number of sections, which will be useful to different activists at different times – however, once you have familiarised yourself with TULO and with the role of CLP TULO Officers and TULO Officers in Chapters 1 and 2, the first port of call should be Chapter 3: Auditing involvement and building links. Making a comprehensive assessment of your local Party’s links with each of the affiliated unions will stand you in good stead for all the other activities you might want to undertake.
You will likely find that the key to building the link locally is knowing who to contact in each of the unions in order to get things done – you will need to use this Handbook in conjunction with the TULO Directory. Published every year, the Directory will be an invaluable resource when building relationships with people inside Labour’s affiliated unions. You can download a copy here.
Introduction: An Introduction to the Handbook
Chapter 1: TULO – an overview
Chapter 2: CLP TULO Officers and TULO Co-ordinators
Chapter 3: Auditing involvement and building links
Chapter 4: Organising events for trade unionists
Chapter 5: Working with elected representatives
Chapter 6: Recruitment
Chapter 7: Constituency Development Plans
Chapter 8: Campaigning for Labour with trade unions
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