Social partners launch major joint training initiative

July 1999 saw the launch of a new "partnership" training initiative, jointly developed by the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), in conjunction with the National Centre for Partnership.

On 14 July 1999, the Prime Minister (Taoiseach), Bertie Ahern, launched a new joint training initiative from theIrish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), which was developed with the assistance of the National Centre for Partnership (IE9706202N) a body established under the current three-year national programme, Partnership 2000 (P2000) (IE9702103F). The initiative is seen as a practical contribution by the social partners to the achievement of the aims of P2000 in relation to the development of enterprise-level partnership.

Entitled Working in partnership - a joint management/union training programme for partnership in competitive enterprises, the project aims to help organisations at various stages in the development of "partnership". Managers and employee representatives will, for the fist time, come together for joint training using a set of jointly developed materials. The programme covers the manufacturing and service sectors, small and medium-sized as well as large enterprises, and both indigenous and foreign-owned companies. Comprising a manual and a supporting video, the programme covers the following topics:

• understanding and developing partnership in the manufacturing and service sectors;

• business awareness and the changing world of work;

• systems of reward and recognition;

• improving the quality of working life;

• understanding financial information;

• joint project management and leadership skills;

• joint problem-solving and consensus decision-making;

• team skills;

• running effective meetings;

• interpersonal skills;

• effective presentation skills; and

• facilitating the development of teams and groups

Speaking at the launch, IBEC director general John Dunne said that the essence of partnership is the involvement of employees in cooperation with management. He said this was the key "to improving the competitiveness and prosperity of their enterprises in today's constantly changing environment".

Peter Cassells, the ICTU general secretary, said that many partnership programmes include methods of financial participation such as gainsharing and profit-sharing "to provide a share in the benefits for people who have contributed through additional productivity" (IE9904276N).

Meanwhile, Mr Ahern, who took time off from intensive talks on the Northern Ireland peace process to launch the initiative, said that talks on any new agreement to replace the current P2000 deal must ensure that Ireland retains "its winning formula of flexibility innovation and competitiveness". The certainty provided by such agreements was invaluable, he said. Mr Ahern's presence at the launch was yet another indication of the government's desire to conclude a follow-on national agreement before P2000 expires in March 2000.