STUC policy is set by our Annual Congress, which takes place in April every year. Congress is the ultimate governing body of the STUC.
The new General Council is elected at Annual Congress, and this body has responsibility for guiding and directing our work throughout the year.
The General Council employs over 30 members of staff to take forward their priorities and run the organisation. The staff team is led by our General Secretary, Rozanne Foyer. She is supported in her work by two Deputy General Secretaries, Dave Moxham and Linda Somerville. Visit the Our People section to find out more about our staff team.
Affiliated trade unions nominate representatives to sit on the General Council at the start of the year. The number of nominations they can submit is based on the size of their membership. Not all our affiliates are represented on the General Council, but we hold regular sector-based sub-meetings throughout the year to ensure we are engaging with and representing all areas of our movement.
We have reserved seats for women, young workers, disabled workers, LGBT+ workers, and black workers on the General Council, as well as a section for our affiliated trades councils. This ensures that the General Council is truly representative of our membership and of society in general.
If there is a contest for seats, a ballot is held at Congress and the individuals with the highest number of votes are elected to sit on the General Council for the coming year.
Each year, the General Council also elects a President, a Vice-President and a Treasurer. This year’s President is Mike Arnott.
The General Council meets regularly throughout the year. These meetings are chaired by the President.
STUC staff provide updates and briefings on our work so that it can be reviewed by the Council. It is also an opportunity for members to share industrial and organising updates with each other.
The General Council holds the staff team accountable and ensures that everything we do aligns with the priorities set by our Annual Congress.
The STUC is completely independent, but we do work closely with other trade union centres across the British Isles - the TUC, the Wales TUC Cymru, and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions - on issues of mutual concern. We also work with trade union centres across the globe.
Our current priorities
The General Council has agreed three strategic long-term priorities. Although the STUC will campaign, take action, and speak on a wide variety of issues affecting workers, these three areas form the core of our long-term campaigning and political lobbying work.
