COMMUNITY THE UNION FOR LIFE

Formed on July 1st 2004, Community was created to become the first 21st century trade union. However, Community has roots which stretch back over a hundred years. Community was formed by the merger of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (ISTC) and the National Union of Knitwear, Footwear and Apparel Trades (KFAT). Prior to this merger, the ISTC had merged with the Power Loom Carpet Weaver and Textile Union (PLCWTWU) and the National League of the Blind and Disabled (NLBD). The PLCWTWU was a regional union based in Kidderminster which saw the merger as the best way to protect their remaining membership.

The NLBD saw the merger as allowing them to retain their identity within the ISTC but giving them a louder voice with which to lobby government. The ISTC/ NLBD model of retaining a distinct identity within the larger union has been followed as a guide by Community when dealing with smaller unions. Providing smaller unions with collective benefits guarantees their members a high level of service, while providing the larger union with a stronger voice The benefits of joining Community has attracted interest from a number of other unions and Community has recently incorporated the National Union of Domestic Appliance and General Operatives (NUDAGO) and the British Union of Social Work Employees (BUSWE).