The Government may end its opposition to proposals to introduce workers' councils into companies employing 50 or more workers, according to the Minister of State for Labour Affairs, Mr Tom Kitt.
At present, only employees of multinationals employing over 1,000 people and with plants in at least two EU member-states are obliged to set up workers' councils.
Ireland is one of a small number of EU states, including the UK, which has blocked a new directive on greater employee consultation. This is because of pressure from both local and foreign companies opposed to extending works councils to smaller enterprises, or to firms with EU plants only in Ireland.
Speaking after the publication of the annual Labour Court report yesterday Mr Kitt said he was "confident we will reach resolution of the workers' consultation issue at the Social Affairs summit next week".
He indicated that Ireland would be joining the majority of EU states in supporting the works councils in smaller enterprises. He was optimistic a new directive would be agreed this year.
He also said he would take on board comments by the chairman of the Labour Court, Mr Finbarr Flood, on the need for a review of industrial relations. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Irish Business and Employers' Confederation would be asked for their views.
Mr Kitt was responding to comments made by Mr Flood at the publication of the court's report for 2000. Mr Flood warned employers and unions that they would have to respond "faster and more flexibly" to industrial relations problems if they were to survive in an increasingly competitive world.
He criticised the social partners for not exercising greater control over unions and managements that ignored accepted procedures and ended up in the court.
"The court, while always available to assist in the resolution of disputes, is opposed to the rewarding of bad behaviour and is reluctant to facilitate those who break or ignore the established rules by giving them precedence over those who abide by the procedures," Mr Flood said.
"In these days of globalisation, investment is increasingly mobile. Those who make investment decisions seek always to minimise risk or downside to their investments. Any uncertainty in the conduct of industrial relations is read as an increased risk factor. Particularly in the light of the current international economic slowdown, it is important that Ireland be seen as a good risk in investment terms." Despite a number of disputes involving groups such as teachers and train drivers, the number of days lost in 2000 was only 97,046, compared with 215,587 in 1999.
Gender continues to be cited as the most common cause of discrimination at work, followed by family status, sexual orientation and disability. Race was cited in two cases, while age, marital status and membership of the Travelling community were cited in one case each.
The full text of the Labour Court's Annual Report 2000 is available on The Irish Times website at: www.ireland.com