Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

As I said in an earlier response on this matter, it is important to point out that the seven social partnership agreements we have had have helped to provide the stability and the means by which society generally has progressed, not only in terms of wage and remuneration or pay issues between employers and employees but in terms of the wider social policy advancements that have been made on the basis of the social partnership framework. It has been an excellent success in that respect. It has brought many improvements to working people's lives for many years. Many of the advances in terms of greater take home pay, better terms and conditions of employment, and better and more widely available opportunities for working families and their children, in terms of education provision and in all other respects, have been as a result of a commitment by the social partners to the process.

Of course it involves compromises and having to work out shared objectives, but, at the end of the day, there is no doubt that, as a governance mechanism, it has proven itself to be a good way in which to organise interests in this society. This includes those contributing not only in respect of their own expertise or area of involvement, whether as trade unions, farm and business organisations or as the voluntary pillar, but also in terms of being able to get a wider and shared understanding of how the economy works and how best to achieve the objectives to which people give priority in that context. I honestly believe it has been a good process.

That does not excuse in particular cases - there is both a statutory and a voluntarist arrangement in industrial relations - aggressive or improper tactics being used by employers or trade unions in respect of the resolution of disputes. On the specific issues Deputy Ó Snodaigh raised, I indicated that the National Implementation Body has been asked to take up the Coca-Cola case and to hold a meeting to see how we can help resolve that problem in a way that is consistent with best practice in industrial relations. From my point of view, there is a need for everyone to take responsibility for respecting the frameworks, which have been built up over the years and to which everyone has subscribed.

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