William O'Halloran
Encyclopedia
William O'Halloran was a pioneer of trade union
ism in Galway
in the west of Ireland
, and was also Galway city's first Labour councillor.
Born in the Bushy Park area around 1870, O'Halloran lived alone in Leetle St (off Lr Canal Road) at the time of the 1911 census. By his own account, he was one of a number of dock labourers who met one evening in August 1911 at Cromwell's Fort, near Renmore, to discuss the establishment of a union to represent general workers. Over the following days, news of the al fresco discussion spread around Galway, and a considerable crowd attended a subsequent public meeting at the Racquet Court Theatre. At that meeting, the Galway Workers' and General Labourers' Union
(GWGLU) was established and O'Halloran was elected as its first secretary.
About a thousand members were recruited -all eager to improve their working conditions. There was opposition, however from a Galway Employers' Federation chaired by the city's leading employer Máirtín Mór McDonagh. Negotiations between the GWGLU and the Federation broke down, and 23 employers locked out their 500 workers in March 1912. Arbitration brought a settlement acceptable to the locked-out workers in less than a week, and a 'victory' was celebrated in a 2 am march through the streets of the city.
Subsequently, the GWGLU affiliated with the Liverpool-based National Union of Dock Labourers
(NUDL), a move which was unusual in Irish trade unionism at a time when the Irish Transport and General Workers Union was displacing the NUDL in Ireland. O'Halloran remained as branch secretary, and he would lead his members into a general strike in late March 1913 which shut down the city for five weeks. A negotiated settlement ensued. An interview with William O'Halloran, published on the eve of the strike, provides insights into the points at issue. http://www.john-cunningham.com/glimpse.html
In January 1914, William O'Halloran was elected a member of the Galway Urban Council, having been nominated by the Galway Trades & Labour Council. A Labour colleague, Martin Holleran also took a seat. Having energetically raised labour matters and actively opposed recruitment into the British army early in World War One, O'Halloran sank into obscurity after 1915.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ism in Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
in the west of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and was also Galway city's first Labour councillor.
Born in the Bushy Park area around 1870, O'Halloran lived alone in Leetle St (off Lr Canal Road) at the time of the 1911 census. By his own account, he was one of a number of dock labourers who met one evening in August 1911 at Cromwell's Fort, near Renmore, to discuss the establishment of a union to represent general workers. Over the following days, news of the al fresco discussion spread around Galway, and a considerable crowd attended a subsequent public meeting at the Racquet Court Theatre. At that meeting, the Galway Workers' and General Labourers' Union
Galway Workers' and General Labourers' Union
The Galway Workers and General Labourers Union was established in August 1911 by William O'Halloran and a number of other dock labourers. Within a short period, following discussions with James O'Connor Kessock, it was absorbed by the Liverpool-based National Union of Dock Labourers, later the...
(GWGLU) was established and O'Halloran was elected as its first secretary.
About a thousand members were recruited -all eager to improve their working conditions. There was opposition, however from a Galway Employers' Federation chaired by the city's leading employer Máirtín Mór McDonagh. Negotiations between the GWGLU and the Federation broke down, and 23 employers locked out their 500 workers in March 1912. Arbitration brought a settlement acceptable to the locked-out workers in less than a week, and a 'victory' was celebrated in a 2 am march through the streets of the city.
Subsequently, the GWGLU affiliated with the Liverpool-based National Union of Dock Labourers
National Union of Dock Labourers
The National Union of Dock Labourers was a trade union in the United Kingdom. It was formed in Glasgow in 1889 but moved its headquarters to Liverpool within a few years and was thereafter most closely associated with Merseyside...
(NUDL), a move which was unusual in Irish trade unionism at a time when the Irish Transport and General Workers Union was displacing the NUDL in Ireland. O'Halloran remained as branch secretary, and he would lead his members into a general strike in late March 1913 which shut down the city for five weeks. A negotiated settlement ensued. An interview with William O'Halloran, published on the eve of the strike, provides insights into the points at issue. http://www.john-cunningham.com/glimpse.html
In January 1914, William O'Halloran was elected a member of the Galway Urban Council, having been nominated by the Galway Trades & Labour Council. A Labour colleague, Martin Holleran also took a seat. Having energetically raised labour matters and actively opposed recruitment into the British army early in World War One, O'Halloran sank into obscurity after 1915.