3. Critically discuss the use of the social partnership model in Irish collective bargaining. Use details of each of the agreements to illustrate your argument.

Collective bargaining is the process through which agreement on pay, working conditions, procedures and other negotiable issues is reached between organised employees and management representatives. The principal feature of collective bargaining is that terms and conditions of employment are determined collectively, not individually. Social Partnership essentially describes negotiations between the Government, representatives of trade union confederations (Irish Congress of Trade Unions), and Employers Confederation (IBEC), and the Irish government about wages and other issues.

From 1988 to date Ireland has had 7 different social partnership agreements have been in effect in Ireland. Each agreement has differed slightly in many ways. Some allow for local level additions. Each agreement has become increasing complex with increased attention to social issues and increased focus on economic sectors. Some acts bring in specific. Others focus on contemporary priorities, such as the minimum wage brought in during Partnership 2000 and benchmarking on the Program for Prosperity and Fairness and finally labour standards on the recent Toward 16 agreement. In 1997 the community platform joined the social partnership process. A group of 27 minority national organisations with a view to addressing issues such as drug, asylum seeks, refugees, poverty and social inequality etc.

Each party involved in social partnership has a vested interest in participation. A cynical may primarily view would be social began as, and continues to be a model for wage restraint (and industrial peace) by employers and the government. Von Prondzynki believes “every evidence is that the programme was designed as a back – up to the