The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (often abbreviated to just Congress or ICTU), formed in 1959 by the merger of the
Irish Trades Union Congress
The Irish Trades Union Congress (ITUC) was a union federation covering the island of Ireland.
History
Until 1894, representatives of Irish trade unions attended the British Trades Union Congress (TUC). However, many felt that they had little im ...
(founded in 1894) and the
Congress of Irish Unions
The Congress of Irish Unions was a confederation of trade unions in Ireland.
History
Congress was one of the two governing bodies that emerged after the split in the Irish trade union body the Irish Trades Union Congress in 1945. The split develo ...
(founded in 1945), is a
national trade union centre
A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national trade union center, and many have more than one. In some regions, such a ...
, the
umbrella organisation
An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...
to which trade unions in both the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
and
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
affiliate.
Influence
There are currently 55 trade unions with membership of Congress, representing about 600,000 members in the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
. Trade union members represent 35.1% of the Republic's workforce. This is a significant decline since the 55.3% recorded in 1980 and the 38.5% reported in 2003. In the Republic, roughly 50% of union members are in the public sector. The ICTU represents trade unions in negotiations with employers and the government with regard to pay and working conditions
Structure
The supreme policy-making body of Congress is the Biennial Delegate Conference, to which affiliated unions send delegates. On a day-to-day basis Congress is run by an Executive Committee and a staffed secretariat headed up by the general secretary, Patricia King who succeeded David Begg in the position in 2015.
John Douglas of
Mandate became President of Congress at the biennial conference in Belfast in July 2013 succeeding Eugene McGlone of
Unite. The president serves for a two-year period and is succeeded by one of two vice-presidents.
Congress is the sole Irish affiliate of the
ETUC
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is the major trade union organisation representing workers at the European level. In its role as a European social partner, the ETUC works both in a consulting role with the European Commission and ...
, the representative body for trade unions at European level and of the International Trade Union Confederation
ITUC
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); german: Internationaler Gewerkschaftsbund (IGB), link=no; es, Confederación Sindical Internacional (CSI), link=no. is the world's largest trade union federation.
History
The federation w ...
Social pacts
Congress enjoyed unprecedented political and economic influence over the period from 1987 to 2009 under the umbrella of Ireland's
social partnership
Social partnership ( ga, Pairtíocht sóisialta) is the term used for the tripartite, triennial national pay agreements reached in Ireland.
The process was initiated in 1987, following a period of high inflation and weak economic growth which le ...
arrangements. This involved a series of seven
corporatist
Corporatism is a Collectivism and individualism, collectivist political ideology which advocates the organization of society by Corporate group (sociology), corporate groups, such as agricultural, labour, military, business, scientific, or guil ...
agreements with the government and the main manufacturing/services employer body
IBEC
Ibec is an Irish business representative lobbying organisation and human resources services provider According to the Standards in Public Office Commission register it is the organisation that is doing "the most lobbying" in Ireland.
Ibec is ...
and the construction employers' lobby, CIF (Construction Industry Federation). It was a classic European-style alliance of government, labour and capital built on six decades of voluntary employment relations regulated by state institutions such as the Labour Court.
For many years the union leaders agreed to dampen pay rises in return for regular reductions in income tax rates. They also negotiated a new system of pay determination for public service employees under the rubric of "benchmarking" using external assessment of pay scales for assorted grades.
The era of
Christian democrat
Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism.
It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...
ic style corporatism also saw a dramatic fall in trade union density from 62% in 1980 to 31% in 2007 and consolidation through mergers of many affiliated trade unions. Efforts to launch recruitment and organising initiatives failed to secure adequate support from affiliated unions while attempts to secure indirect forms of union recognition through legislation collapsed after successful legal challenges and appeals by the anti-union
Ryanair company.
Ireland's period of centralised 'social pacts' ended in late 2009 when the government imposed pay cuts of between 5% and 8% on public service employees. The joint-stewardship of the state's
FÁS training and employment authority by Congress and IBEC and accompanied waste of public and EU funds and excessive spending on directors 'junkets' further weakened the public standing of Congress and its 'social partnership' structures.
In an assessment of the post-partnership situation, Congress general secretary David Begg prepared a strategic review paper in which he identified the increasing weakness of the Congress and individual trade unions being due to "recession and change in the balance of power with capital" as well as job cuts, poor organisation, especially in high-technology companies, and a growing rift between public and private sector employees.
On a more positive note Begg asserted that the ending of social partnership arrangements "liberates us to advocate and campaign for our own policies".
Other activities
A "mass rally", organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions,
Amnesty International, and the
Rainbow Project
The Rainbow Project is a non-profit organization based in Northern Ireland that promotes the health and wellbeing of the LGBT people and their families in Northern Ireland. The Rainbow Project is the largest LGBT organisation (by number of sta ...
in support of
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
in Northern Ireland
took place on 13 June 2015 in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
, with a 20,000 person turnout.
Affiliated unions
*
Association of First Division Civil Servants
*
Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants
*
Association of Irish Traditional Musicians
*
Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland
*
Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union
The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union (BFAWU) is a trade union in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1847 in Manchester, it represents workers in the food industry.
History
The union dates its origin to 1847. The Manchester Friendly Association ...
*
British Actors Equity Association
Equity, formerly officially titled the British Actors' Equity Association, is the trade union for the performing arts and entertainment industries.
Formed by a group of West End performers in 1930, the union grew to include performers and sta ...
*
Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union
*
Building and Allied Trades' Union
The Building and Allied Trades' Union (BATU) is a trade union representing workers in the construction industry and furniture trade in Ireland.
Forerunners
Bricklayers in Dublin appear to have been unionised since at least 1792, and the Old Bodym ...
*
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
*
Communication Workers Union (Ireland)
The Communication Workers Union is a trade union in Ireland.
The union was founded in 1922 as the Irish Post Office Engineering Union, splitting from the British Post Office Engineering Union following the establishment of the Irish Free State. ...
*
Communication Workers Union (UK)
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is the main trade union in the United Kingdom for people working for telephone, cable, digital subscriber line (DSL) and postal delivery companies. It has 110,000 members in Royal Mail as well as more in man ...
*
Connect Trade Union
*
*
Energy Services Union
*
Fire Brigades Union
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is a trade union in the United Kingdom for wholetime firefighters (including officers up to chief fire officer / firemaster), retained firefighters and emergency control room staff.
History
The first recorded ins ...
*
Fórsa
*
GMB Union
The GMB is a general trade union in the United Kingdom which has more than 460,000 members. Its members work in nearly all industrial sectors, in retail, security, schools, distribution, the utilities, social care, the National Health Service (N ...
*
Guinness Staff Union
*
Irish Bank Officials' Association
*
Irish Federation of University Teachers
The Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT; ga, Cónaidhm Éireannach na Múinteoirí
Ollscoile) is a trade union representing university staff in Ireland.
The union originated among a group of teachers at Maynooth College, who met infor ...
*
Irish Medical Organisation
The Irish Medical Organisation ( Irish: ''Ceardchumann Dhochtúirí na hÉireann'' ) is a professional association for doctors in Ireland, and is also a trade union representing doctors in negotiations with the Irish government.
The IMO was for ...
*
Irish National Teachers Organisation
*
Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation
*
MANDATE
*
Medical Laboratory Scientists Association
*
National Union of Journalists
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
Structure
There is ...
*
*
Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance
The Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (NIPSA) is a trade union in Northern Ireland affiliated to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. It is the largest trade union in Northern Ireland, with around 46,000 members, and is organised into two ...
*
National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (commonly known as the RMT) is a British trade union covering the transport sector. Its current President is Alex Gordon and its current General Secretary is Mick Lynch.
The RMT is on ...
*
Operative Plasterers and Allied Trades Society of Ireland
*
Prison Officers' Association (Ireland)
*
Prospect
*
Public and Commercial Services Union
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) is the sixth largest trade union in the United Kingdom. Most of its members work in UK government departments and other public bodies.
History
The union was founded in 1998 by the merger of th ...
*
SIPTU
SIPTU (; ''Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union''; ga, An Ceardchumann Seirbhísí, Tionsclaíoch, Gairmiúil agus Teicniúil) is Ireland's largest trade union, with around 200,000 members. Most of these members are in the Rep ...
(Services Industrial Professional Technical Union)
*
Teachers' Union of Ireland
*
Technical Engineering and Electrical Union
Connect is a trade union representing construction, electrical, and technical workers in Ireland.
History
The union came into existence in 2001, when it was named the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU). It arose from an amalgamatio ...
*
Transport Salaried Staffs Association
The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) is a trade union for workers in the transport and travel industries in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Its head office is in London, and it has regional offices in Bristol, Derby, Dublin, Manche ...
*
Ulster Teachers' Union
*
Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) is a trade union in the United Kingdom, consisting of around 360,000 members. Usdaw members work in a variety of occupations and industries including: shopworkers, factory and warehouse wo ...
*
Unison
In music, unison is two or more musical parts that sound either the same pitch or pitches separated by intervals of one or more octaves, usually at the same time. ''Rhythmic unison'' is another term for homorhythm.
Definition
Unison or per ...
*
Unite the Union
Unite the Union, commonly known as Unite, is a British and Irish trade union which was formed on 1 May 2007 by the merger of Amicus and the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU). Unite is the second largest trade union in the UK (afte ...
*
University and College Union
The University and College Union (UCU) is a British trade union in further and higher education representing over 120,000 academics and support staff.
UCU is a vertical union representing casualised researchers and teaching staff, "permanent" ...
*
Veterinary Ireland
*
Veterinary Officers Association
Former members
*
ACCORD
*
Association of Teachers and Lecturers
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) was a trade union, teachers' union and professional association, affiliated to the Trades Union Congress, in the United Kingdom representing educators from nursery and primary education to furth ...
*
Civil and Public Services Union
The Civil and Public Services Union (CPSU) was an Irish trade union for clerical and administrative grades in the civil service, the wider public sector and the private sector.John B. Smethurst and Peter Carter, ''Historical Directory of Trade Un ...
*
Irish Municipal, Public and Civil Trade Union
The Irish Municipal, Public and Civil Trade Union (IMPACT) was a trade union in the Republic of Ireland. It primarily organised workers in education, health, local government and the civil service. It also had members who worked for voluntary an ...
*
National Union of Sheet Metal Workers of Ireland
*
Prison Officers' Association (Northern Ireland)
The POA: The Professional Trades Union for Prison, Correctional and Secure Psychiatric Workers, also known as the Prison Officers' Association (POA), is a trade union in the United Kingdom. It currently has a membership over 30,000.
Background ...
*
Public Service Executive Union
The Public Service Executive Union (PSEU) was a trade union representing civil servants in Ireland.
The union originated in 1890, when a Dublin branch of the Second Division Civil Servants' Association was founded. In 1918, it became the indepe ...
*
Society of Radiographers
The Society of Radiographers (SoR) is a professional body and trade union that represents more than 90 percent of the diagnostic and therapeutic radiographers in the United Kingdom. The College of Radiographers (CoR) is a charitable subsidiary o ...
*
Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians
The Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) was a British and Irish trade union, operating in the construction industry. It was founded in 1971, and merged into Unite on 1 January 2017.
It was affiliated to the Trades Un ...
General Secretaries
:1959:
James Larkin Jnr
James Larkin Jnr (20 August 1904 – 18 February 1969) was an Irish Labour Party politician and trade union official.
He was born in Liverpool, England, the eldest of four sons of James Larkin, trade union leader, and Elizabeth Larkin (née ...
:1960:
Leo Crawford and
Ruaidhri Roberts
:1967:
Ruaidhri Roberts
:1982:
Donal Nevin
:1989:
Peter Cassells
Peter Cassells (born 1949) is an Irish former trade union leader.
Born in Navan, the older brother of Gaelic footballer Joe Cassells, Peter worked for the herbalist Sean Boylan before moving to Dublin and finding employment at the Department ...
:2001:
David Begg
:2015:
Patricia King
:2022:
Owen Reidy[https://ictu.ie/news/new-general-secretary-ictu-owen-reidy ][
Reference]
Presidents
Treasurers
:1959: Walter Beirne
Walter Herbert Beirne (4 September 1907 – 29 October 1959) was an Irish trade union leader.
Born in Newbridge, County Kildare, the son of Patrick Joseph Beirne, a sergeant with the Royal Irish Constabulary, and Margaret Mary Catherine Clinch, ...
:1960: John Conroy
Sir John Ponsonby Conroy, 1st Baronet, KCH (21 October 1786 – 2 March 1854) was a British Army officer who served as comptroller to the Duchess of Kent and her young daughter, Princess Victoria, the future Queen of the United Kingdom.
Con ...
:1967: Fintan Kennedy
:1982: Patrick Clancy
:1985: Christy Kirwan
:1989: Edmund Browne
Edmund Browne (born 1937) is an Irish former trade unionist.
Browne became active in the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU), and was elected as Vice President in 1983, defeating Des Geraghty by a margin which surprised his supp ...
:1995: Bill Attley
William A. Attley (born 5 April 1938) is a former Irish trade unionist and football referee.
Born in Rathcoole, Dublin, Attley studied at the National College of Industrial Relations. He became active in the Workers' Union of Ireland (WUI), b ...
:1999: Jimmy Somers
Jimmy Somers (born November 1939) is an Irish trade unionist.
Born in Cabra, Dublin, Somers became active in the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU), soon being elected as a branch secretary,Mary Raftery,Labour's Legacy, 1 Decembe ...
:2001: John McDonnell
John Martin McDonnell (born 8 September 1951) is a British politician who served as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2015 to 2020. A member of the Labour Party, he has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Hayes and Harlington since 1997. ...
:2003: Joe O'Flynn
Joe O'Flynn is an Irish trade union leader and former politician.
Born in the Fairhill area of Cork,
See also
* List of trade unions
This is a list of trade unions and union federations by country.
International federations
Global
* Industrial Workers of the World
* International Trade Union Confederation
* International Workers Association
* World Federation of Trade Unio ...
* List of federations of trade unions
This is a list of federations of trade unions currently in existence. Those federations listed under each country are also known as national trade union centres and are organizations formed by trade unions which operate, in most cases, at the ...
* Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre
A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...
* General Federation of Trade Unions (UK)
The General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU) is a national trade union centre in the United Kingdom. It has 35 affiliates with a membership of just over 214,000 and describes itself as the "federation for specialist unions".
History
In the 1890 ...
* Scottish Trades Union Congress
The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) is the National trade union center, national trade union centre in Scotland. With 40 affiliated unions as of 2020, the STUC represents over 540,000 trade unionists.
The STUC is a separate organisation ...
References
External links
*
Congress – Northern Ireland Committee
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irish Congress Of Trade Unions
1959 establishments in Ireland
International Trade Union Confederation
European Trade Union Confederation
National trade union centres of Ireland
All-Ireland organisations
National trade union centres of the United Kingdom
Trade unions established in 1959
Seanad nominating bodies