Heart Unions Week - Collective Strength

TSSA Executive Committee Member for Ireland, Brian Goodfellow, writes with his reflections of the importance of Heart Unions Week 

As we mark Heart Unions Week 2026 it’s a good time for all of us to reflect on what being part of a trade union means and why that collective strength still matters so much today. 

Writing as the EC member from Ireland, I see every day how vital our work is. From bus and rail to logistics and the many roles that keep people and goods moving, transport workers are the backbone of our economy and our communities. We connect towns and cities, keep essential services running and ensure that people can live, work and travel safely. Yet we also know that our industry has always been one where long hours, shift work, safety pressures and constant change are part of the reality. That is precisely why trade union organisation has been, and remains, so important. 

Trade unionism across Ireland was built by people who understood the power of collective action. We owe a great deal to figures like Jim Larkin and James Connolly, who organised workers across sectors, including transport, and who believed that working people deserved dignity, fair pay and a real voice in their workplaces. Larkin himself organised dockers and transport workers, recognising that those who kept the country moving also needed strong representation. Connolly reminded us that solidarity among workers was a force capable of transforming not just workplaces, but society itself. 

Their legacy speaks directly to us today. Many of the challenges transport and travel workers face will feel familiar to those early organisers: the fight for fair wages that keep pace with the cost of living, the need for safe staffing levels, protection from excessive hours and fatigue, job security in the face of restructuring and new technology, and respect for the skilled work we do. While our buses, trains, aircraft and systems may be more modern, the underlying issues of fairness, safety and respect remain much the same. 

But trade unionism has never been about one sector alone. The issues we’re dealing with now: rising living costs, pressure on public services, insecure work and the need to defend hard-won rights affect workers right across society. Just as in the past, the answer lies in unity. When unions work together and members stand in solidarity across workplaces and industries, we are far better placed to meet those challenges. 

Understanding our history helps ground us in the present. The rights and protections we benefit from today didn’t appear by chance; they were won through organisation, persistence and collective action. The battles we face now may look different on the surface, but they are rooted in the same fundamental questions of fairness, dignity and respect that inspired the earliest organisers. 

Being in a trade union today means having representation and support when it matters most. It means collective bargaining power to improve pay, conditions and safety. It means training, advice and a network of colleagues who will stand with you. But it also means being part of a wider movement that speaks up on the issues shaping our society: defending public services, promoting equality and ensuring that working people have a voice in the decisions that affect our lives. 

In the North of Ireland, trade unions have long been a space where people come together across differences to pursue common goals. In workplaces and communities alike, that shared purpose has helped build understanding and solidarity where division might otherwise exist. It’s something we should continue to value and strengthen. 

From the days of Larkin and Connolly to our workplaces today, the message hasn’t changed. Strong unions rely on active members. Every conversation with a colleague, every act of solidarity, and every effort to stand together helps strengthen our movement for the future. 

This week is a reminder to take pride in being part of that tradition and to keep building it. 

In solidarity, 

Brian Goodfellow