The Congress of Irish Unions was a confederation of trade unions in Ireland.
History Congress was one of the two governing bodies that emerged after the split in the Irish trade union body the Irish Trades Union Congress in 1945. The split developed under pressure from an anticipated fresh labour-state relationship, and alleged 'British domination in ITUC'. The CIU consisted entirely of Irish-based unions, and retained 77,500 workers, including the members of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union. The aim of the CIU was to create a trade union movement in Ireland which was Irish-based and nationalistic in outlook, in contrast to the more internationalist and socialist ITUC which had 146,000 members. The Government, contrary to expectation, did not legislate against the British unions, and from 1953 encouraged a détente between the two factions.Policy concertation and social partnership in Western Europe Stefan Berger, Hugh Compston 2002 The confederations amalgamated in 1959, becoming the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
Affiliates On formation, the following unions affiliated to the Congress:Fergus A. D'Arcy and Ken Hannigan, Workers in Union, p.212
Building Workers' Trade Union Dublin Typographical Provident Society Electrical Trades Union (Ireland) Electrotypers' and Stereotypers' Society Irish Bookbinders' and Allied Trades Union Irish Engineering Industrial Union Irish National Union of Vintners', Grocers' and Allied Trades Assistants Irish Seamen and Port Workers' Union Irish Society of Woodcutting Machinists Irish Transport and General Workers' Union Irish Union of Distributive Workers and Clerks Operative Plasterers' Trade Society United Ship and House Painters' and Decorators' Trade Union
By 1954, the following unions held membership:
Union Membership Automobile Drivers' and Automobile Mechanics' Union 1,500 Building Workers' Trade Union 1,700 Dublin Typographical Provident Society 1,267 Electrical Trades Union (Ireland) 2,500 Electrotypers' and Stereotypers' Society 83 Guild of Irish Journalists 46 Irish Actors' Equity Association 210 Irish Bookbinders' and Allied Trades Union 1,075 Irish Engineering, Industrial and Electrical Trade Union 1,978 Irish Engineering and Foundry Union 2,960 Irish National Union of Vintners', Grocers' and Allied Trades' Assistants 3,844 Irish National Union of Woodworkers 950 Irish Seamen's and Port Workers' Union 2,950 Irish Society of Woodcutting Machinists 750 Irish Sub-Postmasters' Union 1,500 Irish Transport and General Workers' Union 148,442 Irish Union of Distributive Workers and Clerks 14,697 National Union of Sheet Metal Workers and Gas Meter Makers of Ireland 300 Operative Plasterers' Trade Society 1,300 Racecourse Bookmakers' Assistants' Association 200 Regular Dublin Coopers' Society 254 United House and Ship Painters' and Decorators' Trade Union of Ireland 423
Secretaries 1945: Cathal O'Shannon 1946: Leo Crawford
Presidents Year President Union1945–46 Gerard Owens Electrical Trades Union (Ireland)1947 Thomas Kennedy Irish Transport and General Workers Union1948 W. J. Whelan Dublin Typographical Provident Society1949 Owen Hynes Building Workers' Trade Union1950 Michael Colgan Irish Bookbinders' and Allied Trades Union1951 John Conroy Irish Transport and General Workers Union1952 Walter Beirne Irish National Union of Vintners', Grocers' and Allied Trade Assistants1953 William McMullen Irish Transport and General Workers Union 1954 Gerald Doyle Operative Plasterers' Trade Society1955 John O'BrienIrish Engineering, Industrial and Electrical Trade Union1956 Michael Mervyn Electrical Trades Union (Ireland)1957 Laurence Hudson United House and Ships Painters' and Decorators' Trade Union of Ireland1958–59 Terence Farrell Irish Bookbinders' and Allied Trades Union
Source: Donal Nevin et al., Trade Union Century, pp. 438–439
References
Sources From the EMIRE database, which is the online version of the European Employment and Industrial Relations Glossaries