Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach is clear that he does not want to return to the old partnership model, which is fine. Nonetheless, one of the biggest issues facing us which involves the social partners is pensions. ESB management, for example, did not cover itself in glory in how it approached the issue with workers, particularly how it managed the accounts and changed smartly from defined benefits to defined contributions, causing a potential difficulty for the economy. In other words, relationships between employers and trade unions are important, not just for themselves but also for the wider economic health of the country.

It seems significant that it has emerged today that the Taoiseach has not formally met the ICTU or significant bodies in the trade union movement. The issues in regard to Marks & Spencer and the ESB and the pensions issue are a time bomb of huge import for the economy, workers, employers and all of the rest of us. Sometimes, in the case of such big ticket items, it would be worthwhile for any Taoiseach to engage formally with the significant bodies that have a large coverage of members. A lack of such dialogue may seem great initially, but over time it can come back to bite in the context of fundamental issues that will present such as the pensions issue. We had such an issue last week at the Liebherr factory in Killarney. As a former Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, I am familiar with such problems. I recall having to ring SIPTU about the dangers and potential threats not only to the maintenance of existing jobs but also to new investments by the company. I put it to the Taoiseach that it is extremely important to have clear channels of dialogue open to senior leadership within the various sectors of the economy, be they trade unions, employers or others. It is a significant omission that this does not seem to be the case.

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