Since 1987, social partnership type agreements between trade un­ ions, employers and government have been the dominant feature of collective bargaining in Ireland. Such agreements also occurred in an earlier period from 1970 to 1980 but were less comprehensive in scope and proved more unstable than present agreements (O'Brien, 1981; Hardiman, 1992). While the form of corporatist arrangements vary considerably across European countries a number of character­ istic features of the model can be identified. First, the centralised agreements negotiated between the social partners goes beyond purely industrial relations matters to include broader socio-economic goals. Secondly, the agreement is a negotiated exchange between the parties. Trade unions agree to co-operate with the government and employers to restrict union members to agreed pay norms. In return, unions and employers may gain a measure of influence over public policy in areas of critical concern to their constituents, such as em­ ployment, social welfare and taxation (Maier, 1984; Roche, 1994).