Motion no: 18
Conference asserts that the right of all workers to bargain collectively with employers is a fundamental human right enshrined in the conventions of the International Labour Organisation and in Article 28 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, consistently vindicated in the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights. Nevertheless, it is a right still denied to Irish workers 100 years after the labour movement commenced its epic struggle for emancipation of working people. Moreover, collective bargaining is a prerequisite for the achievement of any measure of equality in society because trade unions can only achieve their goal of distributive justice if they can force employers to the negotiating table. Therefore, conference calls for the early and full implementation of the commitment in the Programme for Government in this matter.
