Esther Lynch (born 1963) is an Irish trade unionist. She is General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).[1] Lynch was elected as General Secretary of the ETUC in 2022, the first Irish person and second woman to hold the post. As leader of the confederation, she is prioritising fighting for fair pay, equal pay for women, employment security, and workers' rights.[2][3] Prior to that, Lynch held the position of Confederal Secretary of the ETUC from 2015, and in 2019, she was elected as its Deputy General Secretary.[2][3][4]
In the 1980s, Lynch worked in a factory making microchips, where she first joined a union. She then moved to become a political advisor to Joan Burton, the Minister for Social Affairs. In 1993, she moved to work for the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, where her role included negotiations on pay and social partnership agreements.
- ^ "Esther LYNCH - General Secretary". European Trade Union Confederation. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
- ^ a b Moloney, Eoghan (6 December 2022). "Irish woman Esther Lynch elected as general secretary of European Trade Union Confederation". Irish Independent. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Esther Lynch the first Irish General Secretary of the ETUC". Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ^ "Esther Lynch" (PDF). ETUC. Retrieved 4 September 2023.