Sir, – I fully support your editorial statement (Editorial, April 29th) that "Barriers to participation in cultural, economic and social life must be removed". One has only to refer to the NESF report Post-PCW Negotiations – A New Deal? of August 1996. This document states, "Both employer and trade union bodies have fundamental objections in principle to having the community and voluntary sector involved in the wage component of the negotiations".
Put simply, this was the beginning of the end to the community and voluntary sector, which should have had full stakeholder participation since Partnership 2000 for Inclusion, Employment and Competitiveness of December 1996. As is well known now, this community and voluntary sector should have been the counterbalance in the entire wage bargaining process.
The casino wage-bargaining process that was adopted and which continued for the past decade has put this little country of ours into a tailspin and brought us where we are today! – Yours, etc,
DENIS O’BRIEN, PRO,
Knocknacarra Active
Retirement Association,
Clybaun Heights, Galway.