While the Constitution guarantees workers the right of freedom of association and the right to form trade unions, it does not place any obligation on employers to recognise trade unions for the purposes of collective bargaining. As Minister for Labour, I believe that in the interest of good industrial relations, where workers wish to be represented by trade unions, employers, regardless of whether they are Irish or foreign, should recogise the trade unions and engage in collective bargaining. However, in keeping with the voluntary nature of our industrial relations system, I feel that trade union representation and recognition is essentially a matter which must be resolved between the parties involved.
The question of trade union recognition was among the issues discussed in the negotiations on the Programme for Economic and Social Progress. It is provided in the programme that the Employer Labour Conference will, during the period of the programme, review all the issues involved and report on the matter to the constituent bodies of the conference.