History

KUC – is a TUC Centre and part of a network of Unemployed Centres throughout Merseyside, the North West and the UK . This affirms its role as part of a wider movement unifying employed and unemployed people, campaigning for full employment, tackling the effects of poverty and deprivation; and for the right to organise collectively to effect change.

Local unemployed people, newly redundant trade unionists and community activists founded the Centre in 1981. KUC is one of the longest surviving Centres in the country and is widely known and deeply rooted in one of the most deprived communities in Europe. KUC encourages and trains volunteers in all aspects of the Centre's work; supported by paid staff who cover the areas of work most requiring continuity of specialist skills.

Unemployed Centres were born out of a TUC special conference held in 1980, that was called to address the growing mass of unemployment in the country at that time. Arising from the conference was a call for a National March for Jobs, which was held in 1981. The march forged links between trade unions, community and unemployed workers groups and strengthened support for Unemployed Workers Centre's to be set up in order to develop those links and provide a focus for the unemployed to organise themselves.

Against this backdrop, the Kirkby Centre was the first to open on Merseyside and remains one of the longest surviving Centre's in the country.

 “There is no other credible national network that gives voice to the concerns and aspirations of unemployed people that not only gives advice, support and representation but organises around the issues that confront the very people that come through our doors”

(TUC – A Strategy for the Future, 1990)