Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
150 years fighting
‘We are still facing a lot of challenges in our future’
THE weavers of Lochee had gone on strike.
But their battle for better wages and conditions, as part of organised unions in the late 1700s, ended in bitter defeat. However, their struggle inspired workers from all different trades throughout the city to stand up and fight for their rights.
History was eventually made decades later — history that will be celebrated in 2017.
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Dundee Trades Union Council (DTUC).
The group’s first recorded meeting took place in 1867, although it is unclear exactly what month.
The council was set up to bring together different unions from across the city to form one collective unit.
Unrest had built since the weavers took action and unions began to multiply — despite “combining” in a union being deemed illegal at the time.
Since its formation, DTUC has been at the forefront of fighting for workers’ rights in Dundee and beyond from the General Strike in 1926 to the 1993 Timex dispute.
DTUC secretary Mike Arnott has been a member since 1982.
He believes many locals are not aware of the significant role they’ve played in Dundee over the last 150 years. Mike said: “It’s an important anniversary. We’ve kind of acted as a local parliament over the years in assisting with disputes and even getting several trade unions set up.
“We’ve also been very active in the social aspect, assisting people in their day-to-day lives.
“DTUC campaigned for cuts in rail fares and we were critical of corporal punishment in schools, so we’ve had a wide influence across Dundee. There have been so many important issues we’ve been involved in, it’s difficult to pinpoint just one but, for me personally, I’ll never forget being involved in assisting the Fife miners.”
The establishment of Abertay University was cited as an important