Trade union finance in Republic of Ireland

Abstract

In industry, especially in the private sector, profit is usually the acid test of success or failure. Most organisations, if they are to be run effectively, need money - and trade unions are no exception. Trade union finance, however, is not an end in itself, but rather a means to an end. The real strength o f trade unions is in the size of their membership in relation to the number o f workers in the category for which they cater. Thus it is on the size of a union's membership that success or failure may ultimately be judged. Members cannot figure on a balance sheet but they are nevertheless the union's real assets.