Jack O'Connor (trade unionist)

Jack O'Connor (born 24 January 1957) is an Irish trade unionist who has served as Chairman of the Labour Party since April 2017. He previously served as General President of SIPTU from 2003 to 2017 and President of ICTU from 2009 to 2011.

Jack O'Connor (right) is presented with a painting of James Connolly by Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin to mark the 100th anniversary of SIPTU

Jack O'Connor
Chairman of the Labour Party
Assumed office
23 April 2017
LeaderBrendan Howlin
Preceded byLoraine Mulligan
General President of SIPTU
In office
6 September 2003 – 14 December 2017
Preceded byDes Geraghty
Succeeded byPosition abolished
President of ICTU
In office
9 July 2009 – 26 October 2011
Preceded byPatricia McKeown
Succeeded byEugene McGlone
Personal details
Born (1957-01-24) 24 January 1957
Dublin, Ireland
Political partyLabour Party

Background

Born in northern County Dublin, O'Connor worked in various fields before taking full-time employment with the Federated Workers' Union of Ireland in 1980. In 1990, the union became part of SIPTU, and O'Connor was appointed as its regional organiser for the Midlands.[1]

Trade Unionism

In 2000, O'Connor became Vice President of SIPTU, and in 2003 he was elected as General President.[2] O'Connor stepped down as General President on 14 December 2017 after completing three terms in the role.[3][4]

He was appointed to the executive of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions in 2001, becoming Vice President in 2007[1] and President in 2009. He is also active in the Labour Party and has served on its executive.[2]

Labour Party activities

At the 2017 Labour Party annual Conference, O'Connor was elected as Party Chairperson, succeeding fellow SIPTU official Lorainne Mulligan. O'Connor was elected unopposed.[5]

On 4 April 2018, O'Connor was selected as the party's general election candidate for Wicklow,[6] however he stepped down as the candidate in September 2019, upon which Paul O'Brien was selected to run instead.[7]

References
  1. "Business person of the month: Jack O'Connor Archived 2010-06-16 at the Wayback Machine", Business and Finance, May 2010
  2. Jack O'Connor Archived 2006-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, SIPTU
  3. Murray, Sean. "Siptu stalwart Jack O'Connor to step down as its president". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  4. "Jack O'Connor steps down as SIPTU President". www.siptu.ie. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  5. "Brendan Howlin: Ministers 'dragging us further to right'". 24 April 2017.
  6. Finn, Christina (4 April 2018). "Ex-Siptu boss Jack O'Connor selected as Labour candidate". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  7. Finn, Christina. "Ex-Siptu boss Jack O'Connor steps down as Labour candidate for Wicklow". The Journal.
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