The Battersea and Wandsworth Trades Union Council (BWTUC) celebrated its 130th anniversary with a special gathering of past and present officers, committee members, delegates, and supporters of both BWTUC and its unique trading arm, the Workers Beer Company (WBC).

Held at Wandsworth Town Hall, the event honoured more than a century of trade union activism, community organising, and international solidarity, as BWTUC continues its role as the south-west London arm of the 200 million strong global trade union movement.

Founded in Battersea in 1894 by the prominent labour leader John Burns, one of the first two Labour MPs elected to Parliament, BWTUC has a proud history of standing up for workers' rights. The Wandsworth Trades Union Council, founded in 1904, later merged with Battersea in 1974, following the creation of the London Borough of Wandsworth in 1965.

Today, BWTUC represents workers from across the economy, including education, health, transport, construction, communications, retail, and the service sector, through its network of elected delegates from local trade union branches. Its General Committee, the governing body of the Council, continues to meet monthly to coordinate campaigns and support workers across the borough.

BWTUC is also unique among trades union councils in owning its own fundraising trading arm, the Workers Beer Company, which runs bars at some of the UK and Ireland’s best-known festivals. The profits raised support trade union causes and community campaigns. The organisation also runs the Bread and Roses pub and fringe theatre in Clapham Manor Street, a vibrant venue for social, political, and cultural events.

The anniversary event reflected on BWTUC’s illustrious history of over 130 years, with displays of archival materials, including a replica of the John Burns portrait that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. The evening brought together generations of trade unionists who have contributed to the Council’s work, recognising both longstanding campaigns and new challenges facing workers today.

As BWTUC looks to the future, it continues its mission to support workers, fight for social justice, and strengthen the trade union movement locally and internationally.