The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has announced that Gerry Murphy has been appointed to succeed Owen Reidy as the leading representative for the trade union movement in Northern Ireland.
It follows Mr Reidy's appointment to the role of ICTU General Secretary in October.
Mr Murphy has been a trade union representative at all levels of the INTO in Northern Ireland. He is the Secretary of the Northern Ireland Teachers Council and the lead person for the INTO in negotiations with employers and the Department of Education.
He is also currently the Chairperson of the Teachers Negotiating Committee, having been elected to that position by both the trade union and employer representatives.
Mr Murphy has also served as the Chairperson of the Northern Ireland Committee of ICTU and as the president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
Welcoming the appointment, Mr Reidy said Gerry Murphy would bring a 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," Mr Reidy said.
