Conservatives at Work (CaW), formerly Conservative Trade Unionists (CTU), is an organisation within the British Conservative Party made up of Conservative-supporting trade unionists. It played an important role in expanding the party's membership and influence, particularly in Britain's industrial regions. By building support within trade unions,^[1] the party contributed to the reduction of the power and influence of the left. Targeting the working class became a priority for the party. This was motivated by the idea that revulsion towards Labour's egalitarian goals and redistributive policies would emerge from this group.^[2]

The CTU served several purposes. One of these involved being a conduit of communication between the Conservative Party and the workers and unionists. The primary objective was for the group to effectively articulate the party's policies and principles to a working class audience. In this way, both organisations benefited. The workers were able to influence policy-making while the Conservative members, particularly at the parliamentary level, were able to determine which measures would receive support or strong opposition.^[3] This was important because CTU held considerable influence on public opinion, especially in the latter part of the 1970s. CTU also influenced unionists on issues such as the right to opt out of paying a political levy.^[3]

In the mid-1970s, the CTU president was Norman Tebbit (a former official of the British Airline Pilots' Association). He drafted Thatcher's speech to the CTU Conference in 1975, shortly after she was elected Conservative leader.

Under Margaret Thatcher's leadership, there was a drive for recruitment. In 1975, seven new full-time workers were appointed under a new head, John Bowis. The 1977, CTU annual conference was attended by over 1,200 delegates.^[4] By 1978, there were 250 groups whose membership varied from 20 to 200 members.

In the later 1970s and early 1980s, the CTU played an important part in guiding the party toward the Trade Union reforms introduced by James Prior, who was appointed Secretary of State for Employment after Thatcher became Prime Minister in 1979.

Peter Bottomley (a member of the Transport and General Workers' Union) was CTU president from 1978 to 1980. Sir Brian Mawhinney was president from 1987 to 1990.

In the 1990s, with the decline in union influence, CTU membership waned. After the Conservative defeat in the 1997 General Election the organisation was renamed Conservatives at Work.

• Conservative Workers & Trade Unionists
• List of trade unions

• Official website
• Margaret Thatcher: Speech to Conservative Trade Unionists Conference

v t e Conservative and Unionist Party
History Organisations Conservative Party Archive Topics History of the Conservative Party History of conservatism in Great Britain Electoral history Tories Tamworth Manifesto Carlton Club Primrose League Tariff Reform League Unionist Free Food League Coalition Coupon Carlton Club meeting General election manifestos Fourth Party Liberal Unionist Party Irish Conservative Party Irish Unionist Party Scottish Unionist Party National Party (1917) National Liberal Party
Leadership House of Lords (1828–1922) Wellington Derby Malmesbury Cairns Richmond Beaconsfield Salisbury Devonshire Lansdowne Curzon House of Commons (1834–1922) Peel Bentinck Granby vacant (1848–1849) Disraeli / Granby / Herries Disraeli Northcote Hicks Beach R. Churchill Smith Balfour Law A. Chamberlain Leaders (1922–) Law Baldwin N. Chamberlain W. Churchill Eden Macmillan Douglas-Home Heath Thatcher Major Hague Duncan Smith Howard Cameron May Johnson Truss Sunak Chairmen (1911–) Steel-Maitland Younger Jackson Davidson N. Chamberlain Baird Hacking Dugdale Assheton Woolton Poole Hailsham Butler Macleod / Poole Blakenham du Cann Barber Thomas Carrington Whitelaw Thorneycroft Parkinson Gummer Tebbit Brooke Baker Patten Fowler Hanley Mawhinney Parkinson Ancram Davis May Fox / Saatchi Maude Spelman Pickles Warsi / Feldman Shapps / Feldman Feldman McLoughlin Lewis Cleverly / Elliot Milling / Elliot Dowden / Elliot Stephenson / Elliot Berry Zahawi Hands Holden Fuller See also Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party Maudling Whitelaw Lilley Ancram
Leadership elections 1965 Heath 1975 Thatcher 1989 Thatcher re-elected 1990 Major 1995 Major re-elected 1997 Hague 2001 Duncan Smith 2003 Howard 2005 Cameron 2016 May 2019 Johnson July–September 2022 Truss October 2022 Sunak 2024 TBA
Party structure Professional Conservative Party Board Conservative Campaign Headquarters Treasurer of the Conservative Party Conservative Research Department Voluntary National Conservative Convention Parliamentary 1922 Committee Conservative Chief Whip's Office Conference Conservative Party Conference Subnational Northern Ireland Conservatives Scottish Conservatives Welsh Conservatives Gibraltar Conservatives Directly elected city mayoral authorities London Conservatives Local Conservative Associations Other Conservative Party Review (2016)
Associated organisations List Organisations associated with the Conservative Party Sectional groups Conservative Women's Organisation Young Conservatives Conservatives Abroad LGBT+ Conservatives Association of Conservative Clubs Factional groups 2020 group Activate The Atlantic Bridge Blue Collar Conservativism Common Sense Group Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation Conservative Christian Fellowship Conservative Co-operative Movement Conservative Countryside Forum Conservative Disability Group Conservative European Forum Conservative Friends of America Conservative Friends of the Chinese Conservative Friends of Gibraltar Conservative Friends of India Conservative Friends of Israel Conservative Friends of Palestine Conservative Friends of Turkey Conservative History Group Conservative Humanist Association Conservative Mainstream Conservative Health Conservative Muslim Forum Conservative Education Society Conservative National Property Advisory Committee Conservative Rural Affairs Group Conservative Science & Technology Forum Conservative Trade Unionists Conservative Transport Group Conservative Way Forward Conservative Women National Committee Conservative Workers & Trade Unionists Conservatives 4 Cities Conservatives Against Fox Hunting Conservatives at Work Conservatives for International Travel Cornerstone Group COVID Recovery Group European Foundation European Research Group Fresh Start Margaret Thatcher Foundation Monday Club 92 Group No Campaign No Turning Back Northern Research Group One Nation Conservatives Popular Conservatism Renewing One Nation Selsdon Group Tory Green Initiative Tory Reform Group Young Britons' Foundation Five Families Politicians List of MPs 2005–2010 2010–2015 London
Think tanks Bow Group Bright Blue Bruges Group Centre for Policy Studies Centre for Social Justice European Foundation Onward Policy Exchange Society of Conservative Lawyers
Party alliances Current List of current alliances European Conservatives and Reformists Party International Democrat Union (European Democrat Union) European Conservatives Group and Democratic Alliance Former List of former alliances Conservative–DUP agreement European People's Party (European People's Party Group) European Conservative Group European Conservatives and Reformists European Democrats Movement for European Reform Alliance for an Open Europe Ulster Conservatives and Unionists (Ulster Unionist Party)
Conservatism portal United Kingdom portal