Some workers in the knowledge economy do not see a need for trade unions. They are better educated and better able to represent themselves . They are in high-quality employment, working for companies with enlightened management where workplace relations may be excellent . The Irish unions have accepted this view. The type of seemingly ideal situation they had in the 1970s, when members were delivered to unions by their employers through rigid agreements, is gone. The cultural revolution in the Irish trade union movement is such that the leadership believes they have a role to play. The key elements of speed and risk that underpin the global Innovation Economy have been taken on board by progressive elements in the labor movement. In certain cases, unions have taken initiatives in promoting new modes of workplace organization.
While labor clearly does not share all of the assumptions of the multinationals and IDA Ireland regarding the needs of the guest multinationals, it has taken a progressive and practical position. |