NESC - National Economic and Social Council

This paper was prepared by the NESC Secretariat to support the deliberations of the LEEF High Level Working Group on Collective Bargaining which was established on the 30th of March 2021. While recognising the complexity of the issues being addressed by the Working Group there is an awareness of the need to put in place an employment relations regime that is “fit for purpose” and capable of meeting the needs of a 21st century economy, labour market and society. This Paper contends that the work of the High Level Group represents an opportunity to begin to review and reframe collective bargaining and industrial relations as a key policy instrument for supporting a good jobs economy, enhancing productivity and promoting fairness within the labour market.

NESC has been undertaking a Shared Island research programme to contribute to building a shared knowledge base and understanding about possible ways in which greater co-operation can emerge across a number of economic, social and environmental areas on the island of Ireland. As part of this work a place-based inquiry was undertaken in the North West to explore in-depth the ways in which co-operation worked, the barriers and the enablers. The focus was on the lived experience of people in the border areas, with the aim of exploring two integrated thematic issues – sustainability and connectivity. To gain a more in-depth understanding of the issues and elements of co-operation in the North West four online focus groups were held in September/October 2021, facilitated by Caitríona Mullan, on: Good Jobs; Green Transformation; Poverty and Mental Health; and Mechanisms for Co-operation. Approximately 60 individuals from across a range of civic, public, community/voluntary, and business sector organisations in the North West participated in these focus groups.

This research from the National Economic and Social Council reviews international experience of emergencies and the Covid-19 pandemic, looks at examples of Ireland’s response to the pandemic, and identifies five key lessons for Irish public policy. These are: Vulnerability is complex and context-specific, meaning pinpointing and managing vulnerability are crucial. Stakeholder networks and experts shape outcomes, so the policy system must stay deeply engaged. Real-time evidence, when used alongside longer-run data, has the power to transform policymaking, suggesting that the analytical activity which aided in the pandemic response can be applied in other areas of public policy. Adapting the policy world to the data world requires significant effort, meaning that governance, privacy, access, confidentially and data-sharing issues must be prioritised and addressed with urgency. Communication and trust are critical for responding to crises. Policymakers must improve their capacity to reach out, to listen actively, and to communicate clearly. They must also work to ensure their decisions deliver, and are seen to deliver, for society.

As part of the Government’s Shared Island Initiative the Department of the Taoiseach requested NESC to undertake research and to produce a comprehensive report on the Shared Island, to inform the development of the Shared Island Initiative as a whole of Government priority. This report is the culmination of research on the Shared Island that NESC undertook over 2021. This involved more than 100 meetings with practitioners, policy makers, academics and experts from a diverse range of institutions across the whole island, detailed work in the North West including four focus groups, a public consultation on climate and biodiversity, plus a number of NESC Shared Island publications on the economy, regional development, good jobs, climate and biodiversity, poverty and mental health. The report makes specific recommendations across five key areas in relation to the economy and investment, social policy, climate and biodiversity, wellbeing measurement and data co-ordination.

Forming part of a wider body of work on a Shared Island for the Department of the Taoiseach, this report by the National Economic and Social Council examines the particular challenges and opportunities of climate change and biodiversity loss across the island. It draws on an extensive consultation process with stakeholders, north and south. In this report, the Council has identified that there is a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities; and of the need to accept that strengthening cooperation takes time and requires public engagement and participation. This report shows that there is an ambition to collaborate across the island to deal with climate and biodiversity in an integrated, positive and imaginative manner. It also points to the deep, shared experience that provides a solid foundation to deliver on this ambition.