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    Social partnership, company-level collective bargaining and union revitalization in Ireland


    Paolucci, Valentina and Roche, William K. (2024) Social partnership, company-level collective bargaining and union revitalization in Ireland. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 45 (4). pp. 1242-1271. ISSN 0143-831X

    Abstract

    This article explores recent trade union efforts in Ireland to re-engage activists and members and promote revitalization following the termination of a 22-year period of tripartite social partnership. It analyses four case studies of major unions’ strategies to involve activists and members in a workplace-anchored model of firm-level collective bargaining. The findings indicate that decentralized bargaining has become the preferred model of pay determination for Irish unions, and they express little interest in returning to national-level centralized bargaining. Union leaders are enthusiastic about company-level bargaining primarily for three reasons. First, it revitalizes unions by sustaining and expanding union membership at the workplace. Second, it supports local bargaining arrangements that produce tangible benefits for workers, showcasing the effectiveness of unions in advocating for their members. Third, workplace arrangements enhance union influence over management decision-making, both directly through firm-level collective bargaining and indirectly by fostering incentives for continuous dialogue and information exchange.
    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: Decentralized collective bargaining; trade union strategies; union influence at the workplace; union revitalization;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Business
    Item ID: 20696
    Identification Number: 10.1177/0143831X231220136
    Depositing User: Valentina Paolucci
    Date Deposited: 14 Oct 2025 09:46
    Journal or Publication Title: Economic and Industrial Democracy
    Publisher: SAGE Publications
    Refereed: Yes
    Related URLs:
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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