MEMBERS of a small union with one of the longest titles in the Irish trade union movement, the Automobile General Engineering and Mechanical Operatives Union, has voted by six to one to amalgamate with the State's largest union, SIPTU.
Welcoming the result, the AGEMOU general secretary, Mr Larry Doyle, said yesterday the AGEMOU would retain its autonomy as a division within the larger organisation. Mr Doyle, who became general secretary of AGEMOU in 1975, said amalgamation was the way of the future for unions.
AGEMOU began life in 1939 as a union for drivers and mechanics in the automobile industry. Later it also recruited general workers and currently has about 2,000 members.
The bulk of its membership is concentrated in the greater Dublin area and Leinster with significant membership in some large companies, including CRH and TEAM Aer Lingus.
Relations with other unions within TEAM Aer Lingus have been strained in recent times, but the amalgamation with SIPTU, which has a large membership in the aircraft maintenance company, is expected to help resolve these differences.
The transfer of undertakings between SIPTU and AGEMOU are modelled on those used when the Irish National Painters and Decorators Trade Union amalgamated with SIPTU in 1992 and retained its autonomy as a separate group within the larger union.