The proposed merger of the MSF with the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union has been described as a union sans frontieres. The general secretary of MSF, Mr Roger Lyons, also predicted that the new union will overtake the British public service giant, Unison.
When the 400,000 MSF members combine with the 700,000 in the AEEU they will form the second-largest union in Britain and in Ireland.
It might take a bit longer to become the biggest union in Ireland, where the combined strength of the MSF and AEEU will be only 65,000, well behind SIPTU with 200,000.
Nevertheless the merger, if it goes through, will force even SIPTU to think about forging strategic alliances. Assuming that MSF and AEEU members vote for the merger over the next five weeks (they have already voted by more than 90 per cent to approve the consultative process) the new entity plans to spend £1 million on organising and recruitment next year.
The Irish district secretary of the AEEU, Mr Peter Williamson, said the only people they would "go head to head with" were multinational companies that did not recognise trade unions.