In January 1984, civil service staff working at the Government Communications Headquarters in Cheltenham were banned from holding trade union membership. The International Labour Organisation condemned the ban but, after a long legal battle, the House of Lords decided for the Government and the first sackings of trade union members started in November 1988. This poster was issued by the TUC and the Council of Civil Service Unions to publicise the GCHQ Day organised on 7 November, 1988.

Following the May 1997 General Election, the new Labour Government lifted the ban on trade union membership at GCHQ and, in September, the first of the sacked trade unionists returned to work. In January 1999, the Government recognised the injustice of their treatment and agreed to pay the workers compensation for their unfair dismissal.

Title	GCHQ Day, November 1988
Maker	--
Production Date	1988
Format	Poster
Copyright	--
Holding Institution	TUC Library Collections, London Metropolitan University
Related Objects	GCHQ Demonstration, Cheltenham, 1989