Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of my fellow Senators, I welcome to the House the general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Mr. David Begg. As we remember and commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1913 Lock-out, it is fitting and timely that ICTU's general secretary should address Seanad Éireann. The 1913 Lock-out was a seminal moment in Irish history, when the ITGWU engaged in a long dispute with the organised employers of Dublin over the right of the Dublin work force to unionise. It was a bitter struggle which saw great suffering among the striking workers and their families, with starvation forcing many back to work. Speaking at the start of 1914, union leader James Larkin said "We are beaten, we will make no bones about it; but we are not too badly beaten still to fight". The fight for organised labour did indeed continue. It would be fair to say that the legacy of the Lock-out was the eventual recognition of the rights of workers and the concept of a decent, fair and safe workplace that would provide a reasonable standard of living for workers. It is important that we remember the economic and political significance of the events of 100 years ago and the role played by unions and organised labour in the development of our State.

The history of Irish trade unions stretches back into the 19th century. The Irish Trade Union Congress, ITUC, was founded in 1894 to act as the collective voice of organised Irish labour. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, was formed in 1959 by the merger of the ITUC and the Congress of Irish Unions, CIU. It is the umbrella organisation to which trade unions in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland affiliate. Given the role played by the union movement in shaping our State, it is appropriate that we should look at that pivotal moment in our history, the 1913 Lock-out, and examine its impact on the course of Irish history and the Ireland of today. We are looking forward to getting the perspective that the general secretary can bring to our understanding of the events of 1913 and their relevance to modern Ireland. Unions faced challenges 100 years ago. Today, our country and the union movement face a different set of challenges. We will be interested in hearing the general secretary's assessment and evaluation of the challenges for unions and their members as the country recovers from the economic crisis.

He became general secretary of the ICTU in 2001. For five years before that he was chief executive officer of Concern Worldwide, an international humanitarian organisation working in 27 countries, with offices in Dublin, London, Belfast and Chicago. He has also held a number of director roles in State bodies and sits on the executive committee of the European Trade Union Confederation. As Members are aware, this Seanad is determined to modernise its procedures and actively engage with civic society. To begin this process we have changed Standing Orders to allow persons in public and civic life to address Seanad Éireann. We thank Mr. Begg for agreeing to appear before the Seanad, welcome him to the House and look forward to his presentation and a positive and enlightening discussion afterwards.