SIPTU (; ''Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union''; ga, An Ceardchumann Seirbhísí, Tionsclaíoch, Gairmiúil agus Teicniúil) is

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

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

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

, although the union does have a

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

District Committee. Its head office,

Liberty Hall Liberty Hall ( ga, Halla na Saoirse), in Dublin, Ireland, is the headquarters of the Services, Industrial, Professional, and Technical Union (SIPTU). Designed by Desmond Rea O'Kelly, it was completed in 1965. It was for a time the tallest bu ...

, is in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, 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 centr ...

History

The Union has its roots in two separate trade unions both founded by the trade union leader and socialist activist

James Larkin James Larkin (28 January 1874 – 30 January 1947), sometimes known as Jim Larkin or Big Jim, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican, socialist and trade union leader. He was one of the founders of the Irish Labour Party (Ireland), Labou ...

; 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 in January 1909 as a general union. Initially drawing its ...

and the

Federated Workers' Union of Ireland The Workers' Union of Ireland (WUI), later the Federated Workers' Union of Ireland, was an Irish trade union formed in 1924. In 1990, it merged with the Irish Transport and General Workers Union to form the Services, Industrial, Professional an ...

. 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 A general union is a trade union (called '' labor union'' in American English) which represents workers from all industries and companies, rather than just one organisation or a particular sector, as in a craft union or industrial union. A g ...

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

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

and Lithuania, 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 The Irish National Painters' and Decorators' Trade Union (INPDTU) was a trade union representing painters and decorators in Ireland. The union originated in the 19th century as the Regular Operative House Painters' Society. In 1890, it was rena ...

: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 William A. Attley (born 5 April 1938) is a former Irish trade unionist and football referee. Born in Rathcoole, Dublin, Attley studied at the National College of Industrial Relations. He became active in the Workers' Union of Ireland (WUI), be ...

: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. A member of the Labour Party, he has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Hayes and Harlington since 1997. ...

:2002:

Joe O'Flynn Joe O'Flynn is an Irish trade union leader and former politician. Born in the Fairhill area of Cork,

:2020: Joe Cunningham

General presidents

:1990: John Carroll and Bill Attley :1990:

and

Edmund Browne Edmund Browne (born 1937) is an Irish former trade unionist. Browne became active in the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU), and was elected as Vice President in 1983, defeating Des Geraghty by a margin which surprised his suppor ...

:1994: Edmund Browne :1997:

Jimmy Somers Jimmy Somers (born November 1939) is an Irish trade unionist. Born in Cabra, Dublin, Somers became active in the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU), soon being elected as a branch secretary,Mary Raftery,Labour's Legacy, 1 December ...

:1999:

Des Geraghty Desmond Geraghty (born 27 October 1943) is a former Irish politician and trade union leader. He was president of SIPTU from 1999 to 2004. He stood unsuccessfully at the 1984 European Parliament election for the Dublin constituency as a Worke ...

:2003: Jack O'Connor

Vice presidents

:1990: Tom Murphy and Edmund Browne :1990: Tom Murphy :1994:

:1997:

:2000: Jack O'Connor :2003: Brendan Hayes :2010: Patricia King :2015: Gene Mealy

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