THE Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has named Gerry Murphy to succeed Owen Reidy as the leading representative for the trade union movement in Northern Ireland.
He will commence with the leadership of NIC-ICTU’s ‘Workers Demand Better’, the trade union cost of living and workers’ rights campaign launched last month.
Gerry has been a trade union representative at all levels of the INTO in Northern Ireland from branch level to leadership of the education union’s northern membership of teachers and principals.
He is secretary of the Northern Ireland Teachers’ Council and is the lead person for the INTO in negotiations with the employers and the Department of Education, and is central to attempts to resolve the present pay dispute involving all five teaching unions.
He is also currently chair of the Teachers’ Negotiating Committee (TNC) , having been elected to that position by both the trade union and employer representatives. He is the first trade unionist to hold this position.
Gerry has served the wider trade union movement as chair of the NI Committee of ICTU and as president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
Owen Reidy, who earlier this year was appointed as ICTU General Secretary, said: “Gerry Murphy will bring his unique combination of rigour, hard work and empathy to the leadership of the trade unions across Northern Ireland at a period of industrial turmoil and political stasis.
“We are at a time when working people across all professions are standing up to the disrespectful attitude of the Conservative government at Westminster and taking industrial action for stable jobs with the wages they deserve.
“The ‘Workers Demand Better’ campaign will have a true champion in Gerry Murphy. His grasp of detail and firm negotiating skills has won him the respect of colleagues and opponents. His background in teaching and leading schools in west Belfast, one of the most deprived areas of Europe, is a firm grounding in the very point of being a trade union leader – that economic justice for workers and social justice for every child and adult are both sides of the same coin.
“That dedication to decency is the motor to Gerry’s drive for this movement, which is in very safe hands at a challenging era.”
ICTU president Kevin Callinan added: “Gerry Murphy has earned the respect of trade unionists across all communities in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. His abilities of firmness and fairness for the rights of his members and others will be essential requirements in the months and years ahead, as the economic and political turmoil unleashed since Brexit shows no sign of abating.
“Gerry is the right person at the right time for this challenging position and will ably continue the focus and dedication of his predecessor Owen Reidy.”
