The Irish Shoe and Leather Workers' Union (ISLWU) was a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

representing workers involved in shoemaking in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The union was founded on 1 January 1953, as a split from the

National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives The National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives (NUBSO) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1873 and 1971. It represented workers in the footwear industry. History The union was founded in 1873, when many riveters and ...

(NUBSO), which was based in Britain. It initially consisted of the whole 5,000 members in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

. NUBSO members in Northern Ireland did not split, but NUBSO arranged for them to be represented by ISLWU officers in the short-term; it later set up an office in

Banbridge Banbridge ( ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the Bann in 1712. It is in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of Iveagh Upper ...

and broke the link.{{cite book , last1=Smethurst , first1=John B. , last2=Carter , first2=Peter , title=Historical Directory of Trade Unions , date=2009 , publisher=Ashgate , location=Farnham , isbn=9780754666837 , pag
101
, url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldirect0004mars/page/101 In 1977, the ISLWU merged into the

Irish Transport and General Workers' Union The Irish Transport and General Workers Union (ITGWU) was a trade union representing workers, initially mainly labourers, in Ireland. History The union was founded by James Larkin and James Fearon in January 1909 as a general union. Initially ...

References

Defunct trade unions of Ireland Footwear industry trade unions Trade unions established in 1953 Trade unions disestablished in 1977