Trade Unions in the 21st Century: Retreat or Renewal

A Conference About Trade Unions For Trade Unions

National College of Ireland hosted a robust and informative session on Wednesday 9th April, which  addressed the key issues of employee voice and organising in Ireland, the UK and the US through the eyes of union officials and academic analysis.  Attended by 160 union practicioners, the conference involved a high level debate about how to handle the current challenges in an age of so called ‘turbo capitalism’, when the values of the market and specific management styles are receiving little critical attention.

• View the conference presentations
• View Kate Bronfenbrenner's paper
• View Jack O'Connor's paper

This conference was kindly sponsorsed by SIPTU, IMPACT, MANDATE, The IBOA and the Industrial Relations Trust

For more information, contact Emma Kytzia on ekytzia@ncirl.ie or 01 4498652

Programme:

9.15:	Registration and Coffee
9.30:	Welcome from the President of NCI, Dr. Paul Mooney Introduction by the Chair, Dr. John O Dowd
9.45:	Professor John Geary of UCD: What Workers Say: Employee Voice in Ireland.
10.10:	Paul Nowak, Head of Organising TUC: The UK Experience of Unions
10.30:	Kate Bronfenbrenner of Cornell University: The US Experience of Organising, in the context of the Global Economy
10.50:	Discussion and Questions
11 15:	Coffee Break
11.30:	Jack O Connor, General President of SIPTU on: The Challenges Facing Irish Unions
11.50:	Tony Plunkett: What employers want from Unions
12.10:	Panel Discussion and Questions: Kieran Mulvey, CEO, Labour Relations Commission John Douglas, General Secretary, Mandate Trade Union Colin Whitston, National College of Ireland Peter Mc Loone, General Secretary, IMPACT Dr Colette D’Arcy, National College of Ireland
1:10:	Summary and Closing
1.15:	Lunch