Michael James Leahy OBE (born 7 January 1949) was the General Secretary of the British Trade Union Community. [1] Leahy was General Secretary of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (ISTC) from 1999 until it merged with the National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades (KFAT) in 2004 to form Community. He served as General Secretary until 2013.
Leahy was born in Pontypool, Wales, in 1949. [2] He attended Twmpath Secondary Modern School. [3] Michael joined the ISTC in 1965 upon starting work as a Chargehand at Panteg Steel Works, where he was employed from 1965 to 1977.[ citation needed ]
He is married with two children.[ citation needed ]
Leahy was employed as an organiser from 1977 to 1986, then as a senior organiser from 1986 to 1992.[ citation needed ] He was elected Assistant General Secretary of ISTC in 1993 and General Secretary in 1999. [4]
Leahy was President of the iron, steel and nonferrous metals sector of the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF) and sat on the executive of European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF-FEM).[ citation needed ] He was a member of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) executive committee, [5] and was the President of the TUC for 2011. [6]
Leahy is a co-founder of the Trade Unions Linking Israel and Palestine.