Making workplace democracy relevant As the fourth industrial revolution defines this era trade unions, civil society and political forces need to find a way to create a common and cooperative narrative
BY ETHEL BUCKLEY There is nothing more offensive in our industrial relations system than to see workers being forced to withdraw their labour, lose pay and march up and down outside their workplace in the rain to get what workers in other European countries have as a legal right – namely, to bargain their wages and working conditions collectively with their employer. In this regard, the Republic of Ireland is an outlier. This antiquated industrial relations system is the environment in which we are forced to operate as trade unionists. When arguing for a modern fit-forpurpose industrial relations system, one robust enough to confront the inevitable challenges posed by the automation and new ways of working coming down the tracks of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the top priority for trade unionists must be collective bargaining as a right – a labour, civil and human right. While the right to collective bargaining has been a core trade union movement demand for some time, it is not gaining traction in political and public discourse. For the counter-argument inevitably goes that collective bargaining between unionised workers and their employers reduces ‘competitiveness’, leads to inefficient business practices, and makes industrial relations ‘inflexible’. And that’s not to even mention the legal arguments around how the
Constitution doesn’t provide for collective bargaining as a right. Trade unionists and those on the left have to challenge these arguments head on and clearly articulate our vision for fairness at work and justice in society.
A Superior Economic and Social Model
What trade unionists and progressive political and civil society allies need to do is show that democracy in the workplace, and collective bargaining in particular, is an indispensable component of a superior economic and social model and the bedrock of modern industrial relations. Rather than impeding economic growth,
There is nothing in the Programme for Government to suggest that the main parties in the Republic’s new coalition have any appetite for extending workplace democracy
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collective bargaining is a contributor to growth. At this level there is a considerable body of evidence to show that collective bargaining has been shown to be a major contributor to– or, at least, not an inhibitor of –better economic, social and political outcomes. Union members earn higher wages than non-union comparators. Studies show the link between unionisation and lower levels of income inequality as unions lower differentials by lifting the wages of the lower paid. By negotiating pay rates based on objective criteria, collective bargaining reduces the gender pay gap between women and men and shrinks ethnic, racial and migrant wage gaps. Researchers at the University of Limerick’s Department of Work & Employment Studies have shown that members of trade unions are more likely to participate in political and other civic activities than non-union members. This is most likely down to participation in workplace democracy activities like electing shop stewards and participating in general meetings to mandate their representatives on negotiating demands and engaging in debates and ballots on the outcomes of collective bargaining. While trade unionists understandably look to the benefits of collective bargaining to employees, there are clear benefits for 15
