The Government must implement a new approach to workers’ rights following the rejection of Lisbon Treaty, the State’s second-largest trade union, Unite, has said.
Unite regional secretary Jimmy Kelly said the workers’ rights element of the Lisbon No campaign played a significant part in producing a No vote.
He said the Government should respond to this by introducing domestic legislation for the legal recognition of trade unions in the workplace and to give legal effect to collective bargaining agreements.
The Government has so far refused to concede union demands, however, arguing that compelling employers to deal with unions would damage jobs and investment.
Mr Kelly claimed: "Membership of three trade unions who either opposed the treaty or withheld support amounts to seven times the swing that would have meant the treaty was passed.
"Domestic legislation which protects the rights of workers and which is in keeping with much existing EU law, together with a clear definition of the relationship between social rights and economic ones would allow the trade union movement as a whole to move forward with Government on this critical issue," he said.
He said Unite will be seeking meetings with Taoiseach Brian Cowen, the leadership of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Labour Party to push for such a move.