Sir, - Both Sile de Valera and Mary Harney have recently outlined their views on Ireland in Europe. Ms de Valera says that EU directives are impinging on our culture and the Tanaiste raised the spectre of continental European "heavy regulation" threatening employment. Neither gave one specific example to support their arguments.
I believe that their criticisms of Europe are unfair. Since joining the European Union we have introduced a swathe of employment legislation to implement EU directives. Most of this "regulation" has been introduced during the 1990s, when our unemployment rate had dropped dramatically.
This Government and Tanaiste, as well as implementing legislation required by Europe such as the Parental Leave Act, 1998, have even introduced employment legislation not required by Europe, eg. the National Minimum Wage Act, 2000 (which runs to 50 sections and 32 pages). The Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill, 2000 which deals with trade union recognition, is being promoted by the Government, when only three years ago the Tanaiste opposed a similar Bill promoted by the Labour Party in the wake of the Ryanair dispute on the grounds, among others, that it could jeopardise US investment. The current Bill, of course, has the backing of the social partners.
Yet, the Tanaiste leaves us with the impression that regulation is for the continental Europeans and causes high unemployment. The spirit of Boston is more to her liking. America has a minimum wage since 1938 (introduced by Roosevelt as part of his "New Deal" raft of social legislation) and the economy has thrived under the Democrats in the past eight years. In the UK, under the Conservatives until 1997, there was low regulation (they opted out of the Social Charter at Maastricht) and low tax-rates - and they were in a slump. The Labour government has signed the Social Charter and introduced a National Minimum Wage (1999) and other legislation such as the European Works Council Directive, without, it seems, adverse economic effect.
In fact, our employment legislation, both home-grown and European, is about fairness at work, building trust between management and the workforce and involving employees in their businesses. These objectives are productive. One of the next items on the European agenda is the National Works Council Directive which, if passed, will require consultation procedures in all companies in Europe with at least 50 employees.
These initiatives from Europe are designed both to promote fairness at work and to harmonise standards and thus make it easier for businesses to trade throughout the EU. One such proposal is the draft European Company Statute. This will allow companies to register as a "European company" and thus reduce red tape for companies trading in different member states.
The European social and economic model is about partnership and our social partnership since the late 1980s has played a huge role in our economic success. The reduction in tax rates has been facilitated by this growth.
Ironically, despite this recent outbreak of ideological jockeying for position, this Government's track record to date has, by and large, been to follow the social partnership model and not some version of Republican or Tory "roll back the regulation and let it rip"-ism. Now is not the time for ideological solo-runs. Put them in a manifesto and wait for an election before trying them out. Yours, etc.,
Oisin Quinn, Belmont Park, Donnybrook, Dublin 4.