The governance of policy reform in Ireland: Social dialogue actors and institutions in times of economic downturn and austerity

The seminar brings together government, employer and union representatives and academia from Ireland, experts from the European Commission, European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund and officials from ILO to discuss the impact of fiscal consolidation policies, austerity programmes and structural reforms on social dialogue and industrial relations.

With the a view to promoting exchange of experiences and discussing the impact of the crisis on the different countries involved in the project, tripartite delegations from Greece, Portugal and Spain have also been invited to attend the seminar.

A background research paper on “The Impact of the Economic Crisis on Irish Social Partnership” will be presented by Dr. Aidan Regan of the European University Institute in Florence.

During the seminar sessions, participants will review the state of industrial relations in Ireland and Europe during the crisis, the impact of fiscal consolidation policies on social dialogue institutions in the context of deepening EU integration.

This event is being held in the framework of a project on “Promoting a balanced and inclusive recovery from the crisis in Europe through sound industrial relations and social dialogue”, as called for by the ILO Global Jobs Pact.

The project is part of a partnership agreement between the ILO and the European Commission, which is studying the impact of the crisis and crisis-response policies on national tripartite social dialogue, collective bargaining, and labour law in the European Union (EU. Three more seminars will follow in Portugal, Spain and Greece. The project is financed by the European Commission.

Journalists are invited to attend the opening of the seminar. Contact : Mr Youceb Ghellab ghellab@ilo.org Mobile ph. + 41 79 593 1492