There are not many books available on contemporary trade unions and working conditions in Ireland.
While volumes which deal with labour history appear regularly, and the release of an autobiography from a union leader is not uncommon, the sort of book Adrian Kane has produced is a relative rarity.
The first section of the book is mainly dedicated to the author’s experience of the Irish trade union movement, while the second part focuses on improving the world of work.
Kane does not view Irish trade unions through an uncritical gaze. His analysis of internal trade union dynamics mainly deals with Siptu, where the author has worked for almost three decades. He refuses to give easy answers to complex questions.
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For example, he points to what he sees as issues in how unions are sometimes organised internally, and he casts a critical eye over the social partnership years which dominated Irish industrial relations in the 90s and 2000s.
Kane’s analysis is, however, far from pessimistic. He describes examples where his own union has been successful in recruiting new sections of workers and argues for investment in digital outreach.
The second section of the book deals with the author’s views of the future world of work, and the evolving place of trade unions. He sees an expanded role for unions in the economy, enabled in part by digital technology. Trade Unions envisages a role for unions in potentially managing pension funds, and even in possibly managing digital platforms in sectors like taxi driving.
In his pursuit of grand ambition, Kane perhaps loses sight of more immediate prospects for change. For example, he doesn’t dwell on the raft of European Directives in the pipeline which could contribute to a significant reshaping of work.
The series of books of which Trade Unions is a part, called Sireacht, are all short volumes and perhaps an examination of issues the author excludes demand a longer format. As it is, Trade Unions is an accessible, enjoyable book which will hopefully enable a more thorough debate on crucial issues concerning the future of work.
