Congress of Irish Unions

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. The confederations amalgamated in 1959, becoming the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.

Affiliates
On formation, the following unions affiliated to the Congress:


 * 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 Trade 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:

Secretaries

 * 1945: Cathal O'Shannon
 * 1946: Leo Crawford

Presidents
Source: Donal Nevin et al., Trade Union Century, pp. 438–439