A radical overhaul of social partnership is to be sought by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) in talks on a new national agreement, expected to begin tomorrow, writes Chris Dooley, Industry and Employment Correspondent.
The introduction of mandatory pension coverage and the replacement of the Labour Inspectorate by a new agency, to be independent of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, will also be sought by Ictu negotiators.
Instead of the usual three-year agreement, Ictu is seeking a six-year deal based on the targets established in the recent report of the National Economic and Social Council (NESC). The pay element of the deal, however, would be renewed every two years, under the Ictu proposal.
Negotiations on a successor to Sustaining Progress are due to formally begin at Dublin Castle tomorrow afternoon, provided union leaders sanction Ictu's participation at a meeting today.
That is expected to be a formality after delegates to a special conference of Siptu, the State's biggest union, voted overwhelmingly yesterday to support trade union entry to the talks.
The Government, employer bodies, farm groups and community and voluntary organisations will also be represented at the talks, which were due to begin in mid-November. Unions delayed the process, however, because of concerns over exploitation of migrant workers and the displacement of jobs.
Siptu president Jack O'Connor told his union's conference there was now a clear recognition on the part of the Government and employers that the displacement and exploitation issues were of real concern to workers and the wider public. But it was only by entering talks that unions could ascertain the Government's commitment to addressing those concerns, he said.
A key demand of unions for some time has been the appointment of additional labour inspectors to help combat exploitation of migrant workers in particular.
It has now been learned, however, that Ictu negotiators will go a step further at the talks and demand that the Labour Inspectorate be stood down and replaced by a new, independent agency.
Unions will argue that it is inappropriate for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to have control of labour market regulation, given its responsibility for the promotion of industry and competitiveness.
Union leaders "floated" the idea of an independent agency in informal talks with the Government in recent weeks. The move is likely to be fiercely resisted, however, by department officials.
It is also unclear how much support Ictu can expect for its proposal to use the Nesc report as the basis for a six-year agreement.
The reportwas prepared by representatives of all the social partners and represents their "shared understanding" of the state of the economy and society as well as the challenges to be addressed.
It called for a shift away from the focus on economic growth and job creation which has dominated previous national agreements, in favour of a more sophisticated approach which looks at productivity and the quality of jobs being generated. The proposal to introduce mandatory pension coverage will also most likely be opposed by employers.