Why do I feel social partnership in Republic of Ireland was bad for unions? Social partnership is a system based upon voluntarism & de-regulation not labour rights. It required wage restraint in return for the promise of employment growth and tax cuts yet delivered increased flexibility and under investment in social services. Government bodies indicated to inward-investing firms that they had the ‘freedom to recognise or even avoid trade unions. The result was unions becoming marginalised at a workplace level with less union activity and a poor organising structure and a generation of wage increases that were viewed by many workers as a government pay rise. More than 20 years of voluntarist social partnership has meant that existing union structures have been poorly positioned to resist the assault on workers terms and conditions of service. Those seeking a return to a new form of social partnership or a bastardised version of the old one are gravely mistaken. We need organising and campaigning up front and centre with army of union activists fully educated in the class war they must fight and leading the charge against exploitation towards decent work and a decent Ireland. Tip of the forelock to Stevie and Mel who are 2 of the best trade union educaters on the island of Ireland!
Posted on: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 20:41:43 +0000
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