The Trade Unions: From Partnership to Crisis

Abstract

The Irish model of social partnership was once hailed as a success story for other countries to emulate. According to its supporters, the unions avoided marginalisation and devised a strategy to balance competitiveness and equity. Through partnership, Ireland was able to combine the benefits of an Anglo-Saxon notion of free markets with a ‘solidaristic’ ethos and so forge a ‘developmental welfare model’ (NESC 2005). Social partnership replaced class conflict with a new era of understanding between employers and unions. Paul Sweeney of the ICTU claimed that, ‘for unions and employers the biggest accomplishment has been getting into the heads of each other, to understand unambiguously what the deep concerns of the other side are’ (Sweeney 2008: 125). This paper examines the journey of the Irish trade union movement from main players in social partnership through to the current crisis.