Can the Patient Survive the Cure? Irish Labour Law in the Austerity Era

Abstract

This article analyses the effects of the current socio-economic crisis on, and recent measures in the field of, labour law in Ireland. As one of the ‘programme’ countries, which has sought and received financial support from the Troika of the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and European Commission, Ireland has been required to follow a wide-ranging programme of measures designed to restore the economic health of the country. This article looks at specific measures taken in the sphere of labour law and policy, in the private and public sectors, placing these in the context of the wider EU picture.