In accordance with the provisions of Partnership 2000, the National Centre for Partnership has now been established with the following board members: Evelyn Owens, chairperson, Peter Cassells, Irish Congress of Trade Unions, John Dunne, Irish Business and Employers Confederation, John Hurley, Department of Finance, Paul Haran, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and Mary Doyle, Department of the Taoiseach.
The role of the centre is to foster, directly and indirectly, partnership arrangements, involving the acceptance of employees as stakeholders, which will secure the competitiveness, viability and prosperity of enterprises and the modernisation of public services. Two joint directors have been appointed, together with clerical support. The process of appointing two additional staff is under way.
The first meeting of the board was held on 24 September and the immediate work programme was agreed as follows: (i) the dissemination of "best practice" through the identification and study of those organisations where successful partnership is in operation and where the lessons learned can be promulgated in both the private and public sectors; (ii) the monitoring of developments on partnership, including putting in place a national benchmarking survey and (iii) supporting partnership through training and development, in conjunction with IBEC, ICTU and other relevant organisations. The joint directors are now working to this programme.
In addition, a liaison group, chaired by my Department, is being established with representatives from IBEC, ICTU, the Irish Productivity Centre, the Labour Relations Commission, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of Finance. The role of the liaison group is to act as a communications forum and as a resource for the acquisition and dissemination of information and expertise on partnership and on training to support partnership.