Trade unions have been seeking baseline pay deals without productivity concessions, which is ‘two tier bargaining’ in all but name, argues employment relations expert, Brendan McGinty of Stratis Consulting. The former director of industrial relations at Ibec argues that this could erode competitiveness and prove impossible to sustain in the face of Brexit. Current expectations are that private sector pay rises will remain in the 2-3% range across the private sector in 2018 having been close to the 2% in more recent years. This was reflected in a recent Ibec survey of its members which recorded a median increase of 2.2% in 2017. However, it is important to recognise that in key sectors such a
Innovation in Union-Management relationships: can there be a mutually beneficial framework for engag
Unions should be prepared to actively work with employers who are prepared to navigate “a higher road” when it comes to developing new IR relationships that could secure dividends for both parties, writes Liam Doherty*. He suggests that trade unions should provide tangible examples of a “discrete group of employers” who recognise unions and “who are at the very least not disadvantaged over those who don’t”. We recently held a launch event for a new initiative and workplace innovation network by STRATIS across Ireland as a partner of Fresh Thinking Labs to encourage employers to experiment, to network, to share ideas and learning. (www.stratis.ie/freshthinking) One area that has received litt
