This article examines the key factors behind the collapse of the Irish social partnership process in 2010 and looks at some of the broader implications that can be drawn. It categorises the process as being driven by extreme pragmatism, rather than ideological conviction, on the part of the main actors and looks at how the shifting positions of the State, labour and capital, as well as the focus on processes over outcomes, led to the demise of the much-admired Irish model.
Keywords
Social partnership, politics, trade unions, government, employers, collective bargaining, public sector reform
Corresponding Author
Dr Michael Doherty, School of Law and Government, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland; Phone: +353 1 7007814 (fax: +353 1 7007374); .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
This note describes a workshop on International Peace Mediation hosted by Dublin City University in 2010. The workshop was an output of the project “Mediating Peace Agreements: The Capacity of the European Union as Multi-track Mediator”, funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences and the Department of Foreign Affairs. It was intended to deepen understanding of the conceptual framework of international peace mediation and facilitate lesson learning from past practice of mediation initiatives. It provided participants with an insight into how international peace mediation can be used effectively and successfully as a conflict resolution tool.
This paper presents empirical data on the perceptions of national level social partnership in Ireland. It looks at the impact of the Irish social partnership process on the union-member relationship and the implications of the different views at workplace level of national partnership agreements.