Last week the Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions held its Biennial Delegate conference in Derry. Over 230 delegates attended to debate a wide range of motions and issues. The detailed programme and accompanying documentation is available here 
. The economy report (pages 75-101) is taken directly from articles, blogs and QEO publications by NERI staff. It is very welcome to see the research work of the NERI, North and South, been taken up in many trade union fora. A reading of the economy report provides a detailed overview of some key areas of work where NERI has made a contribution over the last two years:
Investment in Northern Ireland’s infrastructure – the scale required and examples of how this might be implemented and funded.
Youth unemployment and the case for a youth guarantee to tackle one of the most important social problems affecting the area.
Low pay and the living wage which was the main focus of our most recent Quarterly Economic Observer.
An overview of recent economic trends in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom.
I would suggest that for anyone with a particular interest in the Northern Ireland economy a reading of this section of the report is well worth the effort.