Government should reject all proposals for Social Dialogue that excludes major parts of society

Posted on Monday, 6 January 2014
  • Any proposal for social dialogue involving trade unions and employers only, and excluding large parts of society should be rejected.
  • Such a process would result in the available resources being divided between business and someemployees with all others depending on the crumbs that are left over.
  • All stakeholders, including the Community and Voluntary Sector should be included in any process of social dialogue developed by Government.
  • The poorest 10% of society lost most since the onset of the crisis. They must not be excluded from any social dialogue process that Government develops.

It would be totally unacceptable for Government to introduce a process of social dialogue that would benefit some sectors of society and exclude the rest of us. The poorest 10% of society lost most since the onset of the crisis.   They must not be excluded from any social dialogue process that Government develops. 

Social Dialogue

Any proposal for social dialogue involving trade unions and employers exclusively, and ignoring the rest of society fails to recognise the complementary nature of economic, environmental and social development.  Recognising the importance of social development and sustainability presents new challenges which must be addressed in any social dialogue process. All development must be sustainable economically, socially and environmentally if it is to be of lasting value.

All sectors should be involved

Government needs to engage all sectors of society, not just trade unions and employers, in addressing the huge challenges Ireland currently faces. Excluding some stakeholders will simply lead to further inequality and social exclusion.   If government wishes all of us to take responsibility for producing a more viable future then it must involve all of us.

A process of social dialogue is a key mechanism in maximising the resources for shaping Ireland’s future.  All stakeholders should be represented in any future social dialogue process in order to prevent a continuation of a policy process that has seen those who have the least, lose the most.