First female Labour Court chair honoured
by Niall Shanahan
 

Ireland’s Labour Court marked its 75th anniversary on 23rd September. The court’s prestigious history and crucial role in the development of the State was celebrated on social media on #IrelandThenAndNow.

 

Fórsa’s Communications Unit produced a short video to mark the occasion, celebrating the career of Evelyn Owens (1931-2010), who served as deputy chair of the court from 1984, and as chair from between 1994 and 1998.

 

Evelyn, described in her Irish Times obituary as “a pioneering woman in public life,” was a key campaigner for equal pay, the first woman to chair the Labour Court and the first female leas-cathaoirleach of the Seanad.

 

She commenced her career as an official with one of Fórsa’s forerunner unions, the Irish Local Government Officials’ Union (ILGOU).

 

The material featured in Fórsa’s video presentation is drawn from Evelyn Owens: An Appreciation, a booklet by Sheila Simmons and Francis Devine, which was published by IMPACT trade union in 2011. A copy of the publication is available via the Irish Labour History Society’s website HERE. 

 

You can watch the short video presentation here or in the screen below.

 

 

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