Labour and Trade Union Group

Labour and Trade Union Group
Leader	Peter Hadden
Founded	1972
Dissolved	1996
Ideology	Trotskyism Marxism
Political position	Far Left
Politics of Northern Ireland Political parties Elections

The Labour and Trade Union Group was an organisation for supporters of the Militant tendency in Northern Ireland.

The group originated in the Northern Ireland Labour Party (NILP), but developed a separate existence as that organisation declined in support,^[1] and was expelled from the NILP in 1977.^[2] It was initially named the "Labour and Trade Union Coordinating Committee", and aimed to include other left-wingers. It campaigned for a Conference of Labour, at which trade unions, socialist groups and community campaigns could agree a co-ordinated approach to labour movement politics, but no such conference was ever held.^[3]

The group failed to win any support and was largely considered a fringe party. It stood Muriel Tang in the United Kingdom general election, 1983 in Belfast East, where she took 1.5% of the vote.^[4] It then stood three candidates for Belfast City Council at the Northern Ireland local elections, 1985, none of whom were elected.^[5] At the 1992 general election, it stood two candidates, including leader Peter Hadden, who took 1,264 votes between them.^[6] By 1993, it was part of Militant Labour. It joined the short lived Labour coalition in 1996.

References

1. Peter Hadden - an inspiring life for socialism", Committee for a Workers' International, 20 May 2010
2. British and Irish Communist Organisation, "Labour in Ulster", p.17
3. Building a socialist alternative, Committee for a Workers' International
4. East Belfast, 1983-1992, Northern Ireland Elections
5. Local Government Elections 1985 - 1989: Belfast, Northern Ireland Elections
6. Westminster election 1992, Northern Ireland Elections