The 'Taking Charge of the Future: How trade unionists can lead the economic debate' seminar took place in the Fórsa offices on Wednesday 19 April 2023 from 15:30 - 16:30. It was also a live streamed event.
Details of seminar:
Michael Taft, Research Officer with SIPTU presented on 'Taking Charge of the Future: How trade unionists can lead the economic debate'. He discussed an Irish Rehn-Meidner model. Subsequently, a discussion was open to the floor where the chairperson, NERI Co-director Dr. Tom McDonnell presented questions to the Michael. Find presentation from the seminar here and link to the video.
Abstract:
Ireland does not have a long-term economic framework – just policies that have lasted a long time. As we enter into a period of uncertainty and overlapping crises (a ‘polycrisis’) we need a new, progressive and long-term framework to meet these challenges. And the trade union movement should be the driving agent.
We can look to the traditional Swedish model for inspiration. Contrary to the popular view, the Swedish model was not based on high-tax, high-spend policies. It was grounded in an economic framework (the Rehn-Meidner model) proposed by the Swedish trade union movement in the early 1950s to meet the challenges of full employment, price stability, income and social equality, and productivity.
The Irish trade union movement should propose its own ‘R-M model’ to meet the challenges of the future. This is not a compilation of short-term policies to address the latest government failing, but rather a long-term restructuring and democratisation of the productive base of the Irish economy upon which fiscal adequacy and living standards are dependent. This will challenge the current orthodoxy and even many traditional trade union analyses. In this way Irish trade unionists can ensure that the producers of goods and services (aka the working class) are privileged.
Biography of the presenter:
Michael Taft is a Research Officer with SIPTU and author of Notes on the Front, a political economy blog. He is also a member of the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, and the Low Pay Commission.