President and Vice Presidents of the Conference, Distinguished delegates,
On behalf of the workers of Ireland I very much welcome this year’s DG report on renewing the social contract.
As the report notes, in the face of rising geopolitical instability, waning trust in governance, and deepening social inequalities, the concept of the social contract has never been more critical and needs to be renewed to ensure social justice and solidarity.
A social contract represents the collective responsibilities and agreements between individuals and institutions, ensuring mutual benefits and societal stability - aligning with the principles of freedom, dignity, economic security, and equality. Following the European elections the ETUC has stated that “social contracts are under immense pressure it clear that business as usual cannot continue and Europe needs to urgently resolve the economic & social insecurity that lies behind growing anger and fear in our society. The EU must urgently press forward on a European project of hope that delivers security and safety to workers and double down on an EU that fights poverty & creates quality jobs”.
We strongly support the ILO tools for such renewal, reaffirming tripartism, social dialogue and collective bargaining as key drivers for negotiating the terms of social and environmental just transition, towards lasting peace and a sustainable planet, and economic and social policies that promote decent work and social justice.
The upcoming Second World Summit for Social Development in 2025 also presents a significant opportunity to discuss and implement a renewed social contract on a global scale.
In Ireland, we have many challenges in terms of renewing our social contract. Recent modest labour market reforms have led to Government approving a business support package that seeks to undo multi-year commitments to improve wage floors and income protection. This cannot be justified in a booming economy and if pursued will leave the lowest-paid, sick, migrant and retired workers paying the price for Government bowing to business lobbyists.
Hundreds of thousands of workers continue to have their right to collective bargaining denied. The EU’s Adequate Minimum Wage Directive will require Ireland to promote collective bargaining and facilitate the right to exercise collective bargaining. Ireland is one of only two EU countries that does not protect employee representatives from being discriminated against for their trade union activity and there are multiple workplaces across our island where trade union representatives are banned from organising. We want to see the Directive effectively transposed as a priority to ensure all workers can enjoy full rights and legal protections, and to remove any barriers that exist around joining a union.
As the President of Ireland recently stated: “History tells us that the best outcomes for workers, their defence and their prospects, continue to be best achieved by being a trade union member”. We agree - every worker is better in a trade union.
Finally, to a place where any semblance of a social contract has been completely discarded. The DG report to the GB confirms that Myanmar has not made any demonstrable progress on the Commission of Inquiry’s recommendations concerning ILO Convention No. 87 on freedom of association and Convention No. 29 on Forced Labour. He has introduced a range of ILO measures, including Article 33, to secure Myanmar’s compliance within one year. It is time for Article 33 to be applied in this case and we urge all sides of this house to support such a measure at the 2025 ILC. We reiterate our demand that the military authorities immediately release all imprisoned trade unionists and return the country to democracy. And, urge all Irish business to divest from any business links in Myanmar.
Full video of speech available here
