In British politics, the term affiliated trade union refers to a trade union that has an affiliation to the British Labour Party.

The Party was created by the trade unions and socialist societies in 1900 as the Labour Representation Committee. Since then, the unions have retained close institutional links with the Party, although these arrangements have been been strained significantly in recent years, with the RMT and FBU severing their links.

Affiliation means that the unions pay an affiliation fee to the Labour Party; in return, they and their members receive the privileges of affiliated membership. Unions select twelve of the thirty-two members of the Labour National Executive Committee and elect fifty per cent of the delegates to Labour Party Conference. In many cases, local union branches also affiliate to Constituency Labour Parties and their members who are also individual members of the Party may represent the Union as delegates on Labour Party structures.

Members of the unions may opt out of the affiliation, so that the member is not allowed to take part in any Labour Party ballots (such as the leadership election) in which other members of the affiliated union are involved.

Affiliated unions

As of December 2004, the trade unions affiliated to the Labour Party are:

• Amicus
• Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF)
• Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU)
• Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU)
• Ceramic and Allied Trades Union (CATU)
• Communication Workers Union (CWU)
• GMB
• Graphical, Paper and Media Union (GPMU)
• General Union of Loom Overlookers (GULO)
• Community (formerly KFAT & ISTC)
• Musicians Union (MU)
• National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers (NACODS)
• National Union of Domestic Appliances and General Operatives (NUDAGO)
• National Union of Mineworkers (NUM)
• Transport and General Workers Union (T&G)
• Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA)
• Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT)
• UNISON
• Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW)
• General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU)

See also

• Trades Union Congress