Plans to introduce compulsory collective bargaining for all companies will be presented by the Minister for Jobs in December. At present workers have a legal right to join a trade union, but employers are not obliged to negotiate with them. The proposal has been agreed by the coalition parties and will oblige companies to negotiate with workers, but not necessarily with trade unions. A provision will be made in the collective bargaining system for firms that engage with works councils rather than trade unions. Part of the process are a standard for the kind of works councils that will be recognised and an anti-victimisation code for those who engage in trade union activity.
English: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/firms-to-be-forced-to-negotiate ...
For more information, please contact the editor Jan Cremers, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) cbn-aias@uva.nl or the communications officer at the ETUI, Mariya Nikolova mnikolova@etui.org. For previous issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit http://www.etui.org/E-Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org, and on the AIAS at www.uva-aias.net.