Northampton Trades Union Council
NTUC supported the International Peace Conference
June 20th 2026
NTUC AGM 1st May 2026
This year's AGM included another celebration of our long history
We were delighted to welcome back John Buckell, a former teacher, NEU member and active member of Northampton Trades Council.
John gave us an excellent presentation on the contribution of Northampton workers to the General Strike of 1926.
The Lamplighter, formerly the Overstone Arms, where Northampton Trades Council began in November 1888
We elected the following officers and committe members
Officers
Chair: Russell Hickman UNITE Community
Email: chair ntuc.org.uk
Vice Chair: Paul Draper UNITE Central
Email: vicechair ntuc.org.uk
Secretary: Anjona Roy, Unison
Email: secretary ntuc.org.uk
Assistant Secretay: Paul Draper UNITE Central
Email: paul.draper80 mail.com
Treasurer: Bob Ansell UCU (Retired)
Email: Treasurer NTUC.org.uk
If you are contacting an officer, please insert the @ symbol in the space in the email address shown. This helps to prevent us from receiving mountains of spam from bots.
Workers Memorial Day April 28th 2026
International Workers Memorial Day, on 28 April, commemorates workers who have lost their lives as a result of a fatal injury or illness caused by their occupational. Whether it be a fall from height or a chemical exposure, thousands of people in Britain every year die as a result unsafe conditions of work.
For 2026, the TUC is focusing on the need to prevent violence at work. We want greater protection from verbal and physical abuse and from violence in the workplace. This protection must be enshrined in law.
Stand with us this year to remember the victims of unsafe work, and commit to workplaces from which everyone comes home, safe and healthy.
In memory of those who died as a result of their work, we will be laying wreaths at the Cobblers Last on Abington Street at 6.30pm on Tuesday 28th April 2026
May Day 2026
Join us on May 1st 2026 at the Lamplighter
We will celebrate May Day and hear from local historian, John Buckell, about Northampton's role in the General Strike.
6.30pm for NTUC Delegates
7.00pm networking and refreshments for visitors and guests.
Meet people where they are: why trades councils deserve the spotlight
DAVID CONWAY explores how trades councils uniquely bring together diverse local groups to tackle everything from domestic abuse to green campaigns, but warns they must attract younger delegates and use social media more effectively
THE annual TUC Trades Councils (TC) conference took place at Congress House on May 24-25, providing an opportunity for trades councils to come together and reflect on their role in promoting working-class solidarity, culture, and community.
What TCs are and do is well documented. According to the TUC, “Trades councils promote working-class solidarity in local communities.” Mary Adossides explained in an article for the Morning Star in 2024 that TCs are groups of trade unionists who live or work in a local area, with the strongest councils being those with the most local union branches affiliated and embedded in their communities. This improves their chances of leading united and successful campaigns.
Despite the undoubted value of TCs, there is limited evidence and media coverage explaining their impact on modern society. Indeed, as Dave Chapple, South West TUC Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) representative, alluded to at the recent General Federation of Trade Unions conference, TCs need to become more focused on the what, rather than the how — arguing that councils should be about building solidarity in the community, not about ageing male left-wingers discussing motions. This may explain why awareness of TCs is low among the general public and why trade union branch affiliation to TCs varies across Britain.
Northampton has an active trades council that uses a broad range of approaches to widen its scope.
Workers' Memorial Day 2025
The NTUC commemorated Workers' Memorial Day with an event in the town centre.
NTUC Calendar of Events
Northampton Carnival 2024
The NTUC had a stall at Northampton Carnival.
And the people of Northampton are unanimous on zero-hour contracts.
Protect the Right to Strike
NTUC was well-represnted in Cheltenham on Jan 27th 2024, in defence of the right to strike.
The History of
Northampton Trades Council
Written by John Buckell
John Buckell is a retired teacher and former NUT (now NEU) delegate to Northampton Trades Council, of which he was Minuting Secretary for some years. He writes and gives talks about local history and is a member of Northampton Radical History Tours.
Part One: Origins and Early Years 1888 to 1892
Social Democratic Federation Banner: currently held in the Peoples’ History Museum, Manchester.
1888 was an important time in the political life of Northampton. The town was represented in Parliament by the radical Liberals, Charles Bradlaugh and Henry Labouchere, but a branch of the Social Democratic Federation had been formed in 1886, and was making the case for socialism. In 1887 a bitter strike and lock-out in the shoe industry had ended in an unpopular compromise.
Northampton’s shoe workers still did not have full parity of wages with other shoe centres, but their union increased its membership. Nationally, trade unionists were beginning to seek representation on town councils and in Parliament, although for the moment as Lib-Labs, elected as Liberals to represent organised workers.
There is much more to NTUC History
We Support Northampton Workers
Fighting to improve wages, pensions and working conditions
