Offaly man Alan Lindley elected Honorary President of SIPTU

Rahan native Alan Lindley has been elected Honorary President of SIPTU.

SIPTU members elected two long-standing activists to senior honorary offices were formally elected at the SIPTU Biennial Delegate Conference in Galway last week.

Athlone native Annette Donlon has also been elected Honorary Vice President.

Waterways Ireland employee Alan Lindley brings almost forty years of trade union activism to his new role.

Beginning his union journey with the ITGWU while working with CIÉ, Alan has since represented workers at national level across the State Related Sector, on the SIPTU National Executive Council and the Union’s Equality and Global Solidarity Committees.

A dedicated advocate for fairness and improved public services, he has consistently highlighted the pressures facing workers across the island.

Speaking following his election, Alan Lindley, said: “Workers are getting a raw deal on housing and the cost of living. Housing has become unaffordable for too many, and that is simply not acceptable.

"We need a national commitment to large-scale public housing, where workers are prioritised and secure ownership is a real and achievable option. A fair society begins with the basics, and affordable homes must be at the centre of that.”

Ms Donlon, a SIPTU activist for more than three decades, and an employee of Roscommon County Council. She has represented members at every tier of the Union.

From the Local Authority Sector Committee to the National Executive Council and the Public Administration and Community Division Committee.

Annette has been central to major campaigns including Stop 67, Big Start, equality in women’s sport and improvements for Section 39 and community sector workers.

Commenting on her election, Annette said: “Throughout my activism I have fought against decisions that disproportionately harm women and low-paid workers from the loss of flexitime to ongoing pay injustice in community and care services.

"Our Union must continue to ensure that equality is not just an aspiration, but a lived reality for every worker.”