Mary T. Quaile (8 August 1886 – 16 December 1958) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

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 ...

. Born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, Quaile grew up in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, and left school at the age of twelve. Initially a domestic servant, she soon moved to work in a cafe. While there,

Margaret Bondfield Margaret Grace Bondfield (17 March 1873 – 16 June 1953) was a British Labour Party politician, trade unionist and women's rights activist. She became the first female cabinet minister, and the first woman to be a privy counsellor in th ...

visited the city to organise workers. Inspired, Quaile began persuading catering workers in the city to join a union. As a result, in 1911, she was appointed as Assistant Organiser of the Manchester Women's Trade Union Council (WTUC), then later as its Organising Secretary.Cheryl Law, ''Women: A Modern Political Dictionary'', p.127 In 1919, the WTUC became part of Manchester Trades Council, and Quaile became the National Woman Officer of the

Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers' Union The Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers Union (DWRGLU), often known as the Dockers' Union, was a British trade union representing dock workers in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1887 as the Tea Operatives and Gen ...

, which later became part of the

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 ...

. She was also active 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 ...

(TUC), and served on the

General Council of the TUC The General Council of the Trades Union Congress is an elected body which is responsible for carrying out the policies agreed at the annual British Trade Union Congresses (TUC). Organisation The council has 56 members, all of whom must be proposed ...

from 1923 to 1926. From 1923, Quaile was secretary of the Manchester Trades Council's Women's Section, and soon was also the council's treasurer. In 1925, Quaile led a women's TUC delegation to the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. She was also appointed to the Women's Advisory Committee of the

International Federation of Trade Unions The International Federation of Trade Unions (also known as the Amsterdam International) was an international organization of trade unions, existing between 1919 and 1945. IFTU had its roots in the pre-war IFTU. IFTU had close links to the Labo ...

. Due to poor health, she resigned from all her national posts in 1933, but became a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

in 1934, and retained her trades council roles into the 1950s."Obituary: Miss Mary Quaile", ''Annual Report of the 1959 Trades Union Congress'', p.321

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quaile, Mary 1886 births 1958 deaths Trade unionists from Dublin (city) Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress Women trade unionists