Social Partnership by Jimmy Doran: “Social partnership” is anti-democratic, because a small group of insiders make the deal. This is then packaged and sold to workers as the best deal possible at this time, given the present circumstances. Social partnership comes onto the horizon as a result of political, employment and economic crisis, in order to reduce workers’ expectations, demands and aspirations and to lay the ground for the introduction of austerity. The trade union movement must reject this strategy. Social partnership agreements are not binding on the government: it is free to treat them as advisory, while unions depend […]

This is the joint podcast Tulf did with Dave Gibney of the trade union Mandate. It is well worth listening to as it discusses the recent decision by the Irish High court that struck down a law providing for certain minimum pay and entitlements for electricians    

To all LGBT workers celebrating Pride, the country will sorely miss the energy and the colour of the annual celebrations this weekend. Celebrations aside, Pride is Protest, and TULF stands with the LGBT community here in Ireland and everywhere against discrimination, inequality and prejudice. We want to express our solidarity with the increasingly ostracised LGBT community in Poland. Pride serves as a reminder to all within the trade union movement that these fights are far from won, and the hard-won gains of recent decades are under threat from far right and reactionary forces. Some of our LGBT community have rightly […]