Trade unions and Government must build on EU's wage directive for a better future for workers

The emerging voice of our younger workers points to a generation with an appetite for real engagement, campaigns for justice and greater worker advocacy. We must nurture that, writes Kevin Callinan, the general secretary of Fórsa

Kevin Callinan: 'Successful economies are characterised by greater levels of collective bargaining, not less.' File photo: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

In the immediate aftermath of the first wave of the global pandemic, Fórsa and Siptu trade unions highlighted the unique opportunity for the Government to seize a watershed moment in history, likening the circumstances then to those that existed in Europe immediately after the Second World War.

With the right approach to leadership, we identified an opportunity for a new consensus on public services, workers’ rights, and the social and political health of the nation, supported by adequate taxation, social dialogue, collective bargaining, and legal rights to equality and civil and political freedoms.