SIPTU (; ''Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union''; ) is

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's largest trade union, with around 200,000 members. Most of these members are in the

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, although the union does have a

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District Committee. Its head office, Liberty Hall, is in

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, and the union has five industrial divisions, three in the private sector and two in the public sector. SIPTU is affiliated to the

Irish Congress of Trade Unions 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 (founded in 1894) and the Congress of Irish Unions (founded in 1945), is a national trade union cent ...

History

The Union has its roots in two separate trade unions both founded by the trade union leader and socialist activist James Larkin; the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union and the Federated Workers' Union of Ireland. The two unions merged in 1990 to create SIPTU. The merge was first proposed in the 1950s, and almost happened in 1969. SIPTU is a general union which organises across the public and private sectors in Ireland and has large numbers of members working in construction, health, education, transport and manufacturing. It has a long-term commitment to delivering social solidarity and has developed a leadership role in the areas of rights for unemployed persons, people with disabilities and older persons. The union, as part of promoting fairness at work and justice in society, includes migrant workers in Ireland and campaigns on the twin issues of the exploitation of migrant workers, particularly those from

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and

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, and the consequent displacement of Irish workers from employment. The union established an Organising Unit in 2004 and its former president, Jack O'Connor, set as his objective the transformation of SIPTU - hitherto firmly committed to a servicing agenda - into an organising union.Arthur Marsh and John B. Smethurst, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.5, pp.440-441

Mergers

Since its formation, several smaller unions have merged into SIPTU: :1991: Irish National Painters' and Decorators' Trade Union :1993: Irish Writers' Union :1997: Automobile, General Engineering and Mechanical Operatives' Union :1998: Irish Print Union, Marine, Port and General Workers' Union, Professional Footballers' Association of Ireland :2002: Musicians' Union of Ireland

Leadership

General secretaries

:1990: Tom Garry and Christy Kirwan :1994: Bill Attley :1998:

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. He has been the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Hayes and Harlington ...

:2002: Joe O'Flynn :2020: Joe Cunningham

General presidents

:1990: John Carroll and Bill Attley :1990: Bill Attley and Edmund Browne :1994: Edmund Browne :1997: Jimmy Somers :1999: Des Geraghty :2003: Jack O'Connor :2017: ''Position abolished''

Vice presidents

:1990: Tom Murphy and Edmund Browne :1990: Tom Murphy :1994: Jimmy Somers :1997: Des Geraghty :2000: Jack O'Connor :2003: Brendan Hayes :2010: Patricia King :2015: Gene Mealy :2017: ''Position abolished''

References

External links

SIPTU official websiteLiberty - official newspaper
Trade unions in the Republic of Ireland All-Ireland organisations Trade unions established in 1990 1990 establishments in Ireland Healthcare trade unions in Ireland {{Europe-trade-union-stub