John Adair Freeman (24 November 1933 – 15 March 2011) was a

trade unionist A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and Employee ben ...

from Northern Ireland. Born on the lower Oldpark road in north

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 Kingdo ...

, Freeman was raised a Presbyterian. His father Samuel fought in the 2nd World war with the Scottish Cameronian rifles and was shot and captured in Belgium. He spent nearly five years in Poland as a prisoner of war. Samuel was a life long christian and member of all the loyal orders. Freeman had an older sister Stella and a younger brother Edward. They were educated at the Model Primary School on Cliftonville Road, leaving at the age of fourteen. During the war years his mother Mary worked in the local mill making munitions. He undertook a variety of jobs before emigrating to Australia in 1955, to work as a labourer. He returned to Belfast in 1962, and found himself unable to work at

Short and Harland Short Brothers plc, usually referred to as Shorts or Short, is an aerospace company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Shorts was founded in 1908 in London, and was the first company in the world to make production aeroplanes. It was particu ...

because he was not a member of the

Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland – where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU) to differentiate its ...

(ATGWU). He instead found employment in a warehouse, but joined the ATGWU and soon moved to work at Short and Harland as a labourer. Freeman became an ATGWU shop steward, then won election as the convenor of shop stewards at the works. He also won election to the union's national general executive council. Freeman opposed

internment Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

of suspected

Irish republicans Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate. The developm ...

in 1971, and faced intimidation from the

Loyalist Association of Workers The Loyalist Association of Workers (LAW) was a militant unionist organisation in Northern Ireland that sought to mobilise trade union members in support of the loyalist cause. It became notorious for a one-day strike in 1973 that ended in wide ...

. He was forced to leave his job, but the ATGWU found him full-time employment as a union organiser. He proved successful, and in 1974 was appointed as the union's regional secretary for Ireland. In the role, he aimed to avoid involvement in sectarian issues, and was involved in the creation of the Enkalon Foundation. He also represented the union at the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), and from 1995 to 1997 served as President of the ICTU. Freeman retired in 1998, and died in 2011. He was predeceased by his wife Ellen whom he was devoted to.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, John 1933 births 2011 deaths Irish emigrants to Australia Trade unionists from Belfast Presidents of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions