Workplace Partnership

Chapter 10 of the social partnership agreement “Partnership 2000 for Inclusion, Employment and Competitiveness” defines Partnership as follows:

“The objective is to achieve joint ownership by management, unions and staff of the entire process of change and to replace the adversarial approach to change with an open co-operative process based on effective consultation and participation by all concerned for the progression and implementation of strategic goals, service delivery objectives and associated action programmes”.

Partnership is basically a new way of involving employees and trade unions in management decision making and in problem solving at different levels of the organisation.

This new relationship between management employees and their trade unions allows for the following activities:

• Employee participation and consultation.
• Information sharing.
• The development of joint objectives, co-operation and trust.
• Joint problem solving.
• Consensus decision making.

The Local Authority National Partnership Advisory Group (L.A.N.P.A.G.) is a joint management-union group and its role is to co-ordinate, advise and support each Local Authority in devising its partnership approach. It also provides funding for various local projects and activities.

For further details contact:

John O'Donovan,
Cork City Council,
City Hall,
Cork.