20 Years of Social Partnership in Ireland

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20 Years of Social Partnership in Ireland

• Presentation to the Western Australia Industrial
  Relations Society by
• Declan Morrin
• Director of Advisory Services
• Labour Relations Commission
• Dublin

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(No Transcript)
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Irish Industrial Relations System

• Voluntarist.
• Union density (declining).
• 20-30 in Private Sector.
• 80 in Public Sector.

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Irish Industrial Relations Environment

• Relatively stable IR.
• Low Strike Levels.
• Social Partnership.
• Moderate pay increases.

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Irish Industrial Relations Institutions

• LRC.
• Labour Court.
• Employment Appeals Tribunal.
• Equality Tribunal.
• National Employment Rights Agency.

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Labour Relations Commission

• Established in 1991.
• Promotes good IR.
• LRC provides
• Advice, Conciliation, Mediation and Rights
  Commissioner Services.
• Tri-Partite Board.
• 50 staff.
• 14 Rights Commissioners.
• State Funded.

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Advisory Service

• Promotes good practice.
• Codes of Practice.
• Training.
• Research.
• IR Health Checks.
• Non-union sector.
• SME Sector.

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Conciliation

• Helps disputing parties to resolve issues.
• Usually collective issues.
• 1,500 to 1,700 cases per annum.
• 75-80 settled.

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Rights Commissioners

• Deal with individuals or small groups.
• Employment Rights issues mainly.
• Over 7,000 cases in 2006.
• Rights Commissioners nominated by Union or
  Employer bodies.
• They are experienced IR practitioners.

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Ireland In The Late 1980s

• Economic stagnation.
• Unemployment 19.
• Inflation 20.
• Mass emigration.
• Possible IMF intervention.

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Social Partnership

• Programme for National Recovery 1987-1990.
• Programme for Economic and Social Progress
  1991-1993.
• Programme for Competitiveness and Work 1994-1996.
• Partnership 2000 for Inclusion, Employment and
  Competitiveness 1997-1999.
• Programme for Prosperity and Fairness 2000-2002.
• Sustaining Progress 2003-2005.
• Towards 2016 A 10 Year Framework Social
  Partnership Agreement 2006-2015.

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Celtic Tiger

• Stable cost base for employers
• Euro Zone
• Stable Public Finances
• Stable Industrial Relations

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Strike Statistics and Trends
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Inward Migration
China 60k
Poland 150k
Lithuania 45k
Latvia 30k
Nigeria 28k
UK 25k
Pakistan 4.5k
USA 6k
Philippines 5k
Romania 5k
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Inward Investment

• 1,200 Foreign Owned Companies
• 40 of US Investment in electronics
• Most profitable location for US investors
• Software Capital
• Call Centres
• Financial Services
• Pharmaceutical and medical devices

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Economist Business Intelligence Unit
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Social Partnership Impacts

• One million new jobs
• Unemployment from 19 to 4.4
• GNP increased five fold
• Better living standards
• Personal taxation down from 60 to 42

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Enterprise Level Partnership

• Active Relationship
• Common Interests
• Complementary Commitments
• Common Ownership of Challenges
• Enhance Prosperity and Success
• Employee Involvement and Participation
• Enhance Work Environment

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Benefits of Partnership

• Improvements in
• Performance
• Productivity
• Innovation
• Benefits
• Morale
• Gain Sharing

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Celtic Tiger Mark 2

• National Workplace Strategy
• Innovation
• Change
• Future Skills
• Greater Access
• Quality of Working Life

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Further Information

• Internet www.lrc.ie
• Email declan_morrin_at_lrc.ie