TULO - The Trade Union & Labour Party Liaison Organisation

The Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation (TULO) is a labour organisation in the United Kingdom that was set up in 1994 by a motion to the Labour Party's Annual Conference. It had several forerunning organisations that coordinated trade union support for the Labour Party at election times such as Trade Unions for a Labour Victory and Trade Unionists For Labour. TULO is different in that, as a more formal organisation, it serves the dual purposes of not only coordinating trade union support for the Labour Party at elections, but also of acting as the channel of communication between the Party Leadership and its affiliated trade unions.

Since 2002 TULO has taken a more visible role within the Labour Party, speaking up for pro-union policies. This work lead to the highly successful Warwick One Agreement (2004) which formed part of Labour's 2005 manifesto, and the Warwick Two Agreement (2008). It also led the campaign to secure rights for Agency Workers (2007), increase statutory redundancy pay (2009), and the 2010 campaign to win compensation for sufferers of Pleural Plaques (a form of asbestosis).

Since 2010 it has rebranded its campaigning activities as UnionsTogether, and has led the way on union digital campaigning. Key campaigns have included pensions rights for older female workers, exposing coalition attacks on working rights, the NHS Condition Critical Campaign, plus the Jobs & Fair Pay campaign. It has a particular emphasis on exposing UKIP policies to cut workers rights such as maternity, paternity, and sick pay.

TULO has been especially active on the issue of party funding, where it has sought to protect the engagement of trade unions in politics and to defend the role of the trade unions inside the Labour Party against the Conservative Party.

There are 13 trade unions currently affiliated to the Labour Party at national level. On affiliation to the Labour Party, every union automatically becomes a member of the National Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation and its General Secretary is entitled to sit on the National TULO Committee, if they are an individual member of the Labour Party. The Committee is jointly chaired by a member from the union side, currently Paul Kenny, and the Labour Party Leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

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