MEMBERS of the Workers' Party have become embroiled in a bitter dispute as opposing factions attempt to lay claim to its name, leadership and assets. 

The controversy comes following a split in the party which is centred around its one-time Northern leadership and several prominent Cork members. 

Last year, a group of members known as the “Northern Ireland Business Committee”, whose connection to the Workers' Party dates back to the 1970s, parted ways with the party’s existing Ard Comhairle, which is largely Dublin-based. 

In a statement released at the time, the Workers’ Party said a “small group of members” surrounding the Committee held “political positions which are at odds with the majority of the Party’s membership”.

FAITHFUL: Workers' Party colour party at the Easter Rising commemoration in Milltown Cemetery in 2017.
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FAITHFUL: Workers' Party colour party at the Easter Rising commemoration in Milltown Cemetery in 2017.

However, last Saturday, a section of opposition members held an extraordinary Ard Fheis where they passed motions of no confidence in the Party President, Michael Donnelly, the party’s Ard Comhairle and Management Committee.

The Ard Fheis saw the Belfast-Cork faction select the Workers' Party’s sole elected representative, Councillor Ted Tynan, as “Party President”.

Cllr Tynan, who is elected to Cork City Council, was one of several members who were suspended from the Workers’ Party amidst the ongoing dispute. 

The faction said more than two-thirds of Workers’ Party branches representing the “vast majority” of the party’s membership attended its Ard Fheis and had rejected those who sought to “undermine the Party”.

While the factions’ leadership includes several senior Belfast cadres, it is understood that a majority of the party’s Northern members remain affiliated to the existing Ard Comhairle, which also maintains control of the Workers’ Party official website.

A statement released on the site denounced those behind the Ard Fheis who it said had “overseen” the decline of the Workers’ Party over the past 30 years.

It added: "The Workers’ Party is aware that a group of former Party members held an inaugural conference over the weekend and have launched a new political organisation. This group has attempted to lay claim, without any validity, to our Party’s name.

"There is however only one organisation rightfully called The Workers’ Party and that is our organisation, which retains 14 of the 18 Ard Comhairle members elected at the last Party Ard Fheis, as well as the vast majority of active Party members and branches. Michael Donnelly remains the Party President, as elected by the 2019 Ard Fheis, and Michael McCorry is the Party’s General Secretary."

The statement claimed the Northern Ireland Business Committee had lost its “decades-long stranglehold” on the party with members opting for a leadership “that prioritised active involvement in campaigns and issues that concerned working class”. 

“Sadly, instead of pursuing their concerns at this loss of control through democratic means, this small group of individuals then, using their base in the regional body (Northern Ireland Business Committee) sought to disrupt Party activity," the statement added.

Meanwhile, the Workers' Party's existing Ard Comhairle, which was elected in 2019, is set to take legal action against a prominent member who is registered as party leader with the Electoral Commission.

At a recent meeting, the Workers’ Party leadership discussed plans to seek an injunction against what it deems a “misrepresentation” of its governance. However, belfastmedia.com understands that the person involved believes he has acted properly at all times and rejects any attempt to remove him from the Electoral Commission role. 

If unsuccessful, its candidates could be precluded from running in an election under the Workers' Party banner.

The fallout from the split has largely manifested itself in attempts by both groups to lay claim to the name of the Workers’ Party, with their respective leaderships each claiming to be the legitimate representation of the party. 

In political terms, it is understood that a disagreement over the party’s position on the National Question is at the heart of the dispute. 

The Northern Ireland Business Committee and its allies - including its “East Londonderry” branch - appear to have placed less emphasis on republicanism and a United Ireland. It has also stopped using the starry plough - first used by the Irish Citizen Army - as its official logo. 

While the faction is thought to consist of a sizeable minority of the Workers’ Party membership, it has retained ownership of party’s Northern social clubs and its office on the Springfield Road in West Belfast.

The Workers' Party grew out of the 1969 split in the republican movement, which created two Sinn Féins and two IRAs - "Officials" and "Provisionals"

Originally known as Sinn Féin, the Officials changed their name to Sinn Féin-The Workers Party in 1977 then dropped the Sinn Féin name in 1979.

The Official Republican Movement underwent a further split in 1974 leading to the creation of the 'Republican Socialist Movement' comprising the IRSP and INLA.