A SPECIAL UNIT within the Labour Relations Commission is needed to facilitate the introduction of changes necessary to face the "sharp increase in competition" likely to hit the indigenous newspaper industry.
The commission concludes that the "extreme urgency" with which new technology must be introduced arises not only from the existing competitive advantages of the British newspapers, but also from a "real and immediate likelihood of a sharp increase in this competition".
There can be no question of achieving the required changes in staffing levels, work practices and labour costs via a "Wapping style" confrontation, and there can be no question of their being achieved by any form of industrial relations legislation compelling solutions.
There can be no advantage in any attempt to solve the problem by negotiations made or undertaken by the industry in general. In most instances a solution must be found by each individual company entering into individual industrial relations agreements with its own staff and their trade unions.
In the event of any difficulty, recourse should be to the Labour Relations Commission's Advisory Service. To facilitate and expedite such procedures, the Government should immediately establish a special unit to deal with the newspaper industry.
"The function of this unit would be to assist and work with unions and management in those companies in which its assistance is requested."
In particular, the unit should help with finding agreements to do with technology, staffing levels, demarcation and labour costs. The unit should also devise a process to speed up the reaching of agreements, the commission recommends.
This could involve an agreed time schedule and a mechanism for bringing them to finality.
"The terms of reference given to this special unit should emphasise the need for the indigenous Irish newspaper industry to proceed with maximum speed towards the achievement of the highest possible standards in publishing and printing which would be competitive with those employed by imported newspapers.
The unit so established should be available exclusively, for a fixed period, for the purpose of assisting the newspaper industry, having regard to the urgency of its need to avail of new technology and to deal with the implications for work practices.
