Affiliation to the VTHC is open to any industrial organisation of employees (most commonly called a trade union) with at least 20 financial members.

[2] The Victorian Trades Hall Council is responsible for: In 1856 stonemasons in Melbourne won the eight-hour day, one of the first occasions in the world where organised workers had achieved this without loss of pay.

In recent times, as well as being the centre for union activity, the Trades Hall Council has opened the Trades Hall building to many cultural events, plays, and concerts including the Melbourne Comedy Festival – concentrating on political and 'on the edge' performances.

[13] Some notable members of the Trades Hall Council from the 1880s include William Trenwith and Chummy Fleming, both from the Victorian Operative Bootmakers Union.

[15] VTHC President Kevin Bracken sparked outrage on 20 October 2010 when he told Jon Faine's ABC talk-back program the 911 attacks on the World Trade Center were not the result of terrorist activity.