Mr. Gerry Light:

In general terms it is manifested in the example of an employer I will not name in its attitude in writing to its 10,000 employees where it stated that the company "wholeheartedly endorses" the right to join a union, however, in the course of the same correspondence it states "the Company will not enter into direct discussions with a Trade Union". It must be pointed out that this letter was written in the context of an ongoing dispute we are having with this extremely profitable Irish employer which, not surprisingly, centres around the core issue of decent work.

The existence and outcomes from a robust, meaningful collective bargaining environment not only has the direct effect of lifting workers out of precarious working conditions but also lessens greatly the pressures and obligations on the State to provide support structures which prevent more workers being exploited and moving deeper into workplace poverty. Many employers are prepared to do the right thing by their employees and enter into collective agreements with Mandate to produce working conditions which are decent and fair.