The Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECD is an interface for trade unions with the OECD. It is an international trade union organisation which has consultative status with the OECD and its various committees.

TUAC’s origins go back to 1948 when it was founded as a trade union advisory committee for the European Recovery Programme - the Marshall Plan. When the OECD was created in its current form in 1962 as an intergovernmental policy making body, TUAC continued its work of representing organised labour’s views to the new organisation. The OECD is now changing again, taking in new members and becoming a leading forum for intergovernmental policy making to manage globalisation. TUAC’s role is to help ensure that global markets are balanced by an effective social dimension. Through regular consultations with various OECD committees, the secretariat, and member governments TUAC coordinates and represents the views of the trade union movement in the industrialized countries. It is also responsible for coordinating the trade union input to the annual G8 economic summits and employment conferences.

TUAC’s affiliates consist of over 58 national trade union centres in the 30 OECD industrialised countries which together represent some 66 million workers. It is they who finance TUAC activities decide priorities and policy and elect the TUAC officers. 

The large majority of TUAC affiliates  are also affiliated to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). Most European affiliates also belong to the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). TUAC therefore works closely with these international trade union organisations as well as with the International Labour Organisation (ILO). TUAC also works closely with Global Union Federations to ensure effective trade union input to OECD sectoral work such as education, public sector management, steel, or maritime transport. TUAC with the ITUC and GUFs are members of the Council of Global Unions.

TUAC operates through a small secretariat, based in Paris, of 5 policy staff and 3 administrative staff. John Evans is the General Secretary of TUAC.

You may contact TUAC by e-mail or by post, phone or fax:

 TUAC - OECD
15 rue Laperouse 75016 Paris
France

Telephone 01 55 37 37 37
Telefax  01 47 54 98 28

Website: www.tuac.org