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McCarthy, Adrian (2020) A Qualitative Investigation on the Future Role of Trade Unions in Ireland’s Employment Relations Landscape. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.
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Abstract
The trade union movement has been a defining part of the employment relations landscape in Ireland for over a century. In recent years, trade unions in Ireland have experienced a decline in density levels following the end of social partnership, in addition to facing further challenges between resistance from employers and an unsupportive legislative framework. Bearing these factors in mind, this research set out to investigate what the future role of trade unions will be in Ireland’s employment relations landscape. A qualitative investigation adopting a semi-structured interview process was used to conduct this research, with interviews taking place with senior trade union leaders representing a range of different trade unions across various sectors of employment in addition to a public representative. The results of the research have found that while trade unions continue to face challenges in relation to areas such as legislation and attracting young people into the movement, their role within the employment relations landscape in the short to medium term will remain essential. Challenges aside, there are also some opportunities presented to trade unions in the future, as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic casts renewed interest and relevance on their role within employment relations and representing the interests of workers. COVID19 has also acted as a disruptor for the trade union movement and society more broadly in Ireland, challenging perceptions on the value of the collective over individualism. As the pandemic continues to unfold, investigating the ramifications of this may provide an area of future research to assess what the long-term impact of COVID-19 will be on the trade union movement and their future role in Ireland’s employment relations landscape.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Issues of Labour and Work > Industrial Relations |
| Divisions: | School of Business > Master of Arts in Human Resource Management |
| Depositing User: | Dan English |
| Date Deposited: | 02 Feb 2021 11:06 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Feb 2021 11:06 |
| URI: | https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/4612 |
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