The Council of Civil Service Unions (CCSU) was a

trade union federation A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national trade union center, and many have more than one. In some regions, such ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. The federation's origins lay in the Civil Service National Whitley Council, a joint bargaining organisation consisting of trade unions and representatives of the civil service as an employer. By the 1970s, most unions were unsatisfied with the arrangement, feeling that the trade union members of the council were unrepresentative, and that it was an overly bureaucratic system. As a result, in 1980, they formed the independent "Council of Civil Service Unions".Jack Eaton and Colin Gill, ''The Trade Union Directory'' (1979), p.4 The founding members of the federation, with the number of seats they initially held, were: * Association of First Division Civil Servants (2 associate members) * Association of Government Supervisors and Radio Officers (2) * Association of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Taxes (2 associate members) * Civil and Public Services Association (20) *

Civil Service Union The Civil Service Union (CSU) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1917 and 1988. It represented lower-paid staff within the British Civil Service such as cleaners and messengers. History The union was formed in 1917 a ...

(6) * Inland Revenue Staff Federation (8) *

Institution of Professional Civil Servants The Institution of Professionals, Managers and Specialists (IPMS) was a trade union representing managers and other people with professional qualifications in the United Kingdom, with a majority of members working in the civil service. History T ...

(11) * Prison Officers' Association (3) * Society of Civil and Public Servants (11) The council led a campaign against the government's prohibition of staff at the

Government Communications Headquarters Government Communications Headquarters, commonly known as GCHQ, is an intelligence and security organisation responsible for providing signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance (IA) to the government and armed forces of the Uni ...

from joining a trade union. This landmark case, ''

Council of Civil Service Unions v Minister for the Civil Service ''Council of Civil Service Unions v Minister for the Civil Service'' , or the GCHQ case, is a United Kingdom constitutional law and UK labour law case that held the royal prerogative was subject to judicial review. In 1984, by issuing an Order in ...

'', was ultimately lost in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

. Over the years, many of the civil service unions merged and, in 1998, the

Public and Commercial Services Union The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) is the sixth largest trade union in the United Kingdom. Most of its members work in UK government departments and other public bodies. History The union was founded in 1998 by the merger of th ...

(PCS) was formed, representing for the first time a majority of civil service trade unionists. With many of the council's functions having been delegated to other bodies, it agreed thereafter to proceed only on the basis of consensus among all members. By 2010, the following unions held membership of the council:

,
Council of Civil Service Unions (CSSU) dissolved
", 20 December 2010 * FDA * Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance * Prison Officers' Association *

Prospect Prospect may refer to: General * Prospect (marketing), a marketing term describing a potential customer * Prospect (sports), any player whose rights are owned by a professional team, but who has yet to play a game for the team * Prospect (minin ...

* Public and Commercial Services Union The consensus-based approach led to dissatisfaction, the PCS complaining that decisions were subject to the veto of even very small unions. The FDA, meanwhile, opposed the PCS's specific recommendations for change, arguing that this would effectively give the PCS the final say on all civil service matters. FDA,
Break-up of the Council of Civil Service Unions
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220142034/http://www.fda.org.uk/Media/Whats-new/Break-up-of-the-Council-of-Civil-Service-Unions.aspx , date=2016-12-20 " In 2010, unable to agree a way forward for the federation, it was dissolved.

General Secretaries

:1980: Bill Kendall :1983: Peter Jones :1992: John Ellis :1995: Charles Cochrane

References

External links

Catalogue of the CCU archives
held at the

Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick The Modern Records Centre (MRC) is the specialist archive service of the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, located adjacent to the Central Campus Library. It was established in October 1973 and holds the world's largest archive collecti ...

Catalogue of the Staff Side of the National Whitley Council for the Civil Service archives
held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick National trade union centres of the United Kingdom Trade unions established in 1980 1980 establishments in the United Kingdom Trade unions disestablished in 2010