Joseph O'Hagan (18 March 1900 – 22 December 1978), often known as Joe O'Hagan, was a British trade union leader. Born in

Workington Workington is a coastal town and civil parish in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. The town is at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast, south-west of Carlisle and north-east of Whitehaven. At the 2021 census the ...

, O'Hagan started work at the age of fourteen for the

United Steel Companies The United Steel Companies was a steelmaking, engineering, coal mining and coal by-product group based in South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, England. History The company was registered in 1918 and the following year saw a joining together of ste ...

,''AEU Monthly Journal'' (March 1969), pp.7-8 and immediately joined the

National Federation of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners and Kindred Trades The National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades (NUB) was a trade union in England and Wales which existed between 1888 and 1985. It represented process workers in the British iron and steel industry. History ...

(NUB).''6th Constitutional Convention of the Canadian Labour Congress'', p.58 He was successful, becoming a blastfurnace keeper before he took up full-time union work in 1939. O'Hagan took on a succession of roles in the union, becoming General President in 1948, and then, in 1953, General Secretary, serving until his retirement in 1968. In 1958, he was made an officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

. O'Hagan served on the Iron and Steel Industrial Training Board and the National Safety Committee, and was a delegate to the

International Labour Conference The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is one of the firs ...

. He was also elected to the General Council of the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union center, national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions that collectively represent most unionised workers in England and Wales. There are 48 affiliated unions with a total of ...

(TUC) in 1954, and served as the

President of the TUC The president of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in British trade unionism. History Initially, the post of president was elected at the annual Trades Union Congress (TUC) itself, and would serve just for the d ...

in 1966. After leaving his union duties, O'Hagan served as a director of

British Steel Corporation British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...

's General Steels section until his final retirement in 1971.''Metal Construction and British Welding Journal'', Vol.3, No.2, p.296

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OHagan, Joseph 1900 births 1978 deaths British trade union leaders Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Workington Presidents of the Trades Union Congress