Michael J. Leahy is the General Secretary of the British Trade Union Community

Community (trade union)

Community is a UK trade union representing workers in the iron and steel, domestic appliance manufacturing, clothing, textiles, footwear and betting industries as well as workers in voluntary organisations, workshops for visually impaired and disabled people, community-care providers and housing...

. Leahy was General Secretary of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation

Iron and Steel Trades Confederation

The Iron and Steel Trades Confederation was a British trade union for metal-workers and allied groups. It was formed on 1 January 1917 as a merger of existing steel-workers' unions and it is now part of Community.- History :...

 (ISTC) from 1999 until it merged with the National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades

National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades

The National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades was a trade union in the United Kingdom.It was formed in 1991 through the amalgamation of the National Union of Hosiery and Knitwear Workers and the National Union of the Footwear, Leather and Allied Trades...

 (KFAT) in 2004 to form Community.

Early life

Michael was born in Pontypool

Pontypool

Pontypool is a town of approximately 36,000 people in the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales....

, Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

, in 1949. He attended Twmpath Secondary Modern School. Michael joined the ISTC in 1965 upon starting work as a Chargehand at Panteg Steel Works

Panteg Steel Works

The Panteg Steel Works was situated in the village of Panteg, adjacentto Sebastopol, and Griffithstown, in the district ofTorfaen, South Wales...

, where he was employed from 1965 to 1977.

He is married with two children.

Union career

Leahy was employed as an organiser from 1977 to 1986, then as a senior organiser from 1986 to 1992. He was elected Assistant General Secretary of ISTC in 1993 and General Secretary in 1999.

Leahy is President of the iron, steel and nonferrous metals sector of the International Metalworkers' Federation

International Metalworkers' Federation

International Metalworkers' Federation is a global union federation of metalworkers' trade unions, founded in Zürich, Switzerland in August 1893...

 (IMF) and sits on the executive of European Metalworkers' Federation

European Metalworkers' Federation

The European Metalworkers' Federation , founded in 1971, is a federation of 68 metalworkers' unions from 31 countries, representing a combined total of 6.5 million affiliates. It is based in Brussels, Belgium, and the general secretary is Peter Scherrer....

 (EMF-FEM). He also is a member of the Trades Union Congress

Trades Union Congress

The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...

 (TUC) executive committee, and is the President of the TUC

President of the Trades Union Congress

The President of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in British trade unionism.The President is elected at the annual conference of the Trades Union Congress . They officially fill the office for the remainder of the year and then preside over the following...

 for 2011.

Middle East Peace Process

Michael is a co-founder of the Trade Unions Linking Israel and Palestine

Trade Unions Linking Israel and Palestine

Trade Unions Linking Israel and Palestine is an organization of unions located in various countries around the world. Its stated main goal is to promote cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians. In addition it also aims to counter some efforts in other countries to promote boycotts of Israel...

.