The Trade Union Pint: The Unlikely Union of Guinness and the Larkins

Considered the best employers in Ireland, if not the world, Guinness cared for their workers with good wages, health care, culturally and practical. This is the story of two families and their allies. They were the most unlikely of partners: model employers renowned for their standard of care for their staff, and the sons and leaders of a trade union established by a man whose vision for Irish workers had brought the first open conflict between employer and employee in Ireland: a man who once declared he was on a ‘divine mission of discontent’. On one side was ‘Big Jim’ Larkin and his sons; on the other side, the Guinness generations. Both families were visionary - one brought trade unionism to Ireland, the other led the way in care for Irish workers. Their story is not without heartache: commitment to the trade union caused marital problems and family issues and these are recounted, adding humanity to this trade union revolution.