The Irish Trades Union Congress (ITUC) was a union federation covering the island of Ireland. History Until 1894, representatives of Irish trade unions attended the British Trades Union Congress (TUC). However, many felt that they had little impact on the British body, and the Dublin Trades Council had twice tried and failed to form an Irish federation of trade unions. Its third attempt, the Irish Trades Union Congress, met for the first time in April 1894.[1] Although some Irish delegates continued to attend the British TUC, their decision to bar representatives of trades councils from 1895 increased dissatisfaction, and the ITUC soon became the leading Irish union federation.[2][3] Despite this, the new federation adopted the form of the British TUC, differentiating itself primarily by offering lower subscription rates and lower costs for delegates to attend its annual congress.[1] In 1900, the British TUC asked the ITUC to amalgamate with it, but this request was rejected.[4] In its early years, the ITUC was dominated by small craft unions. The unions of carpenters were particularly important, while the printers and tailors also proved significant. Several British-based unions with Irish members also affiliated. While initially aiming to include the "land and labour" movement, this was excluded from 1898 onwards, as its organisations were not considered to be recognised trade unions or trades councils. Early issues discussed as the congress included the campaigns for an eight-hour day, for manhood suffrage, and for improvements to pay and conditions. Calls for nationalisation were initially defeated, but were passed in 1898. While delegates votes in favour of establishing a political fund, to support favoured candidates, nothing came of this, although the ITUC did have strong links with Joseph Nannetti, who liaised on its behalf with the Irish Parliamentary Party.[1] In 1912, the ITUC established a political arm, becoming known as the Irish Labour Party and Trade Union Congress (or Irish Trade Union Congress and Labour Party). The political wing evolved into the Labour Party. Despite the Partition of Ireland, the ITUC continued to organise throughout the island, but tensions arose between the unions based in Britain and with members in both Britain and Ireland, and the Irish-based unions. In 1936, the organisation formed a commission to examine the issue. William O'Brien put in a proposal to form ten industrial groupings with no overlaps to negotiate on behalf of workers - in effect, this would have passed existing union activities to ten industrial unions. This and three other proposals were discussed at the 1939 conference, but O'Brien and his supporters walked out and formed the Advisory Council of Irish Unions. This comprised eighteen unions based in Ireland, and accounted for about half the ITUC membership.[4] The Advisory Council cut ties with the ITUC in 1945 and formed the Congress of Irish Unions.[4] After long negotiations, the two organisations reunited in 1959 to form the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.[5] Affiliates The following unions were affiliated to the ITUC as of 1925:[6] Amalgamated Engineering Union Amalgamated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen Amalgamated Society of Slaters and Tilers Amalgamated Society of Tailors and Tailoresses Amalgamated Society of Woodcutting Machinists Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers Ancient Guild of Incorporated Brick and Stone Layers Associated Blacksmiths' and Ironworkers' Society Belfast and Dublin Locomotive Engine Drivers' and Firemen's Trade Union Civil Service Clerical Association Dublin Operative Plasterers' Trade Society Dublin Packing Case Makers Dublin Typographical Provident Society Flax Roughers' and Yarn Spinners' Trade Union Irish Bakers', Confectioners' and Allied Workers' Amalgamated Union Irish Clerical and Allied Workers' Union Irish Engineering Industrial Union Irish Garment Makers' Industrial Union Irish Mental Hospital Workers' Union Irish Municipal Employees' Trade Union Irish National Teachers' Organisation Irish National Union of Painters and Decorators Irish Post Office Workers' Union Irish Transport and General Workers' Union Irish Union of Distributive Workers and Clerks Irish Women Workers' Union National Amalgamated Furnishing Trades Association National Amalgamated Society of Operative House and Ship Painters and Decorators National Sailors' and Firemen's Union National Society of Brushmakers National Union of Life Assurance Workers National Union of Railwaymen National Union of Sheet Metal Workers and Gas Meter Makers of Ireland National Union of Vehicle Builders Railway Clerks' Association Tailors' and Garment Workers' Trade Union Typographical Association Union of Post Office Workers United Operative Plumbers and Domestic Engineers By 1954, the following unions held membership:[7] Union Membership Amalgamated Engineering Union 21,486 Amalgamated Slaters, Tilers and Roofing Operatives 102 Amalgamated Society of Lithographic Printers 288 Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers 16,860 Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union 40,000 Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers of Great Britain and Ireland 1,980 Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers 882 Associated Blacksmiths', Forge and Smithy Workers' Society 479 Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen 1,483 Association of Engineering and Shipbuilding Draughtsmen 1,216 Association of Scientific Workers 59 Association of Supervisory Staffs, Executives and Technicians 1,206 Assurance Representatives' Organisation 1,201 Civil Service Clerical Association 3,600 Clerical and Administrative Workers' Union 2,000 Cork Coopers' Society 47 Cork Operative Butchers' Society 91 Electrical Trades Union (UK) 5,453 Federation of Rural Workers 1,000 Fire Brigades Union 100 Irish Bakers', Confectioners' and Allied Workers' Amalgamated Union 5,000 Irish Commercial Travellers' Federation 600 Irish Federation of Musicians 788 Irish Municipal Employees' Trade Union 1,500 Irish National League of the Blind 100 Irish National Teachers' Organisation 7,414 Irish Post Office Engineering Union 1,500 Irish Shoe and Leather Workers' Union 3,000 Irish Union of Hairdressers and Allied Workers 411 Irish Women Workers' Union 6,500 National Amalgamated Union of Life Assurance Workers 100 National Association of Operative Plasterers 1,011 National Association of Theatrical and Kine Employees 492 National Association of Transport Employees 3,000 National Federation of Insurance Workers 1,158 National League of the Blind of Great Britain and Ireland 124 National Society of Brushmakers 192 National Society of Coppersmiths, Braziers and Metalworkers 360 National Society of Painters 3,884 National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives 500 National Union of Furniture Trade Operatives 2,934 National Union of General and Municipal Workers 2,400 National Union of Journalists 508 National Union of Packing Case Makers 50 National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers 1,487 National Union of Scalemakers 100 National Union of Seamen 1,000 National Union of Sheet Metal Workers and Braziers 900 National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers 6,651 National Union of Vehicle Builders 2,000 Northern Ireland Musicians' Association 300 North of Ireland Operative Butchers and Allied Workers Association 489 Pilots' and Marine Officers' Association 200 Plumbing Trades Union 3,323 Post Office Engineering Union 545 Post Office Workers' Union 6,000 Transport Salaried Staffs' Association 4,147 Typographical Association 2,138 Union of Post Office Workers 2,742 Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers 6,335 United Society of Boilermakers and Iron and Steel Shipbuilders 3,656 Vocational Educational Officers' Organisation 600 Workers' Union of Ireland 25,000 Secretaries 1894: John Simmons 1899: Hugh McManus 1900: E. L. Richardson 1910: P. T. Daly 1918: William O'Brien 1920: Thomas Johnson 1928: Eamonn Lynch 1941: Cathal O'Shannon 1945: Thomas Johnson 1945: Ruaidhri Roberts Presidents Year Name[8] Union 1894 Thomas O'Connell Dublin Trades Council 1895 John Henry Jolley Cork Trades Council 1896 James D'Alton Limerick Trades Council 1897 P. J. Leo Waterford Trades Council 1898 Richard Wortley Belfast Trades Council 1899 James McCarron Amalgamated Society of Tailors 1900 George Leahy Regular Stucco Plasterers' Trade Union of the City of Dublin 1901 Alexander Bowman Municipal Employees' Association 1902 William Cave Cork Trades Council 1903 Walter Hudson Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants 1904 William Walker Belfast Trades Council 1905 James Chambers Dublin Saddlers' Society 1906 Stephen Dineen Irish National Federal Union of Bakers 1907 James McCarron Amalgamated Society of Tailors 1908 John Murphy Belfast Trades Council 1909 Michael J. Egan Cork Trades Council 1910 James McCarron Amalgamated Society of Tailors 1911 David Robb Campbell National Union of Life Assurance Agents 1912 Michael O'Lehane Irish Drapers' Assistants Association 1913 William O'Brien Irish Transport and General Workers' Union 1914 James Larkin Irish Transport and General Workers' Union 1916 Thomas Johnson National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks 1917 Thomas MacPartlin Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners 1918 William O'Brien Irish Transport and General Workers' Union 1919 Thomas Cassidy Typographical Association 1920 Thomas Farren Stonecutters' Union of Ireland 1921 Thomas Foran Irish Transport and General Workers' Union 1922 Cathal O'Shannon Irish Transport and General Workers' Union 1923 Luke Duffy Irish Union of Distributive Workers and Clerks 1925 William O'Brien Irish Transport and General Workers' Union 1926 Denis Cullen Irish Bakers' Amalgamated Union 1927 J. T. O'Farrell Railway Clerks' Association 1928 William McMullen Irish Transport and General Workers' Union 1929 Luke Duffy Irish Union of Distributive Workers and Clerks 1930 Thomas J. O'Connell Irish National Teachers' Organisation 1931 Denis Cullen Irish Bakers' Amalgamated Union 1932 Louie Bennett Irish Women Workers' Union 1933 Seán Campbell Dublin Typographical Provident Society 1934 Michael Duffy Irish Transport and General Workers' Union 1935 P. J. Cairns Post Office Workers Union 1936 Michael Drumgoole Irish Union of Distributive Workers and Clerks 1937 Helena Molony Irish Women Workers' Union 1938 Jeremiah Hurley Irish National Teachers' Organisation 1939 P. T. Daly Irish Transport and General Workers' Union 1940 Sam Kyle Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union 1941 William O'Brien Irish Transport and General Workers' Union 1942 Michael Colgan Irish Bookbinders and Allied Trades Union 1943 Michael Keyes National Union of Railwaymen 1944 Robert Getgood Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union 1945 Gilbert Lynch Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union 1947 John Swift Irish Bakers', Confectioners' and Allied Workers' Amalgamated Union 1948 Louie Bennett Irish Women Workers' Union 1949 James Larkin Jnr Workers' Union of Ireland 1950 Sam Kyle Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union 1951 Helen Chenevix Irish Women Workers' Union 1952 James Larkin Jnr Workers' Union of Ireland 1953 Con Connolly Cork Workers' Council 1954 John McAteer National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers 1955 Robert Smith Plumbing Trades Union 1956 J. Harold Binks Clerical and Administrative Workers Union 1957 Norman Kennedy Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union 1958 Jack Macgougan National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers 1959 Walter Carpenter Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers Treasurers Year Name[9] Union 1894 Patrick Dowd Dublin Trades Council 1895 John Henry Jolley Typographical Association 1898 Peter Tevenan Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants 1900 Alex Taylor Irish Linenlappers' Trade Union 1902 George Leahy Operative Plasterers Society 1905 Edward W. Stewart National Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks 1910 Michael O'Lehane Irish Drapers' Assistants' Association 1913 David Robb Campbell National Union of Life Assurance Agents 1919 Thomas Johnson National Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks 1921 William O'Brien Irish Transport and General Workers' Union 1925 Archie Heron Irish Transport and General Workers' Union 1926 William O'Brien Irish Transport and General Workers' Union 1930 Denis Cullen Irish Bakers, Confectioners and Allied Workers Amalgamated Union 1931 Luke Duffy Irish Union of Distributive Workers and Clerks 1934 Seán Campbell Dublin Typographical Provident Society 1945 J. T. O'Farrell Railway Clerks' Association 1950 John Swift Irish Bakers, Confectioners and Allied Workers Amalgamated Union 1959 Dominick Murphy Transport Salaried Staffs' Association References O'Connor, Emmet (1992). A Labour History of Ireland. Goldenbridge: Gill and Macmillan. pp. 57–61. ISBN 0717120163. Trade Union: Ireland Archived 2011-04-30 at the Wayback Machine, EuroFound Terence Bowman, People's champion: the life of Alexander Bowman, pioneer of Labour politics, p.148 Joan Campbell, European labor unions, p.250 A Short History of Congress, Irish Congress of Trade Unions Irish Trades Union Congress, "Thirty-first Annual Report", pp.168-173 McCarthy, Charles (1977). Trade Union in Ireland 1894–1960. Dublin: Institute of Public Administration. pp. 615–617. ISBN 0902173790. Donal Nevin et al., Trade Union Century, p.437 Donal Nevin et al, Trade Union Century, p.441