Public procurement and collective bargaining in Ireland

Public procurement strategy at European and national levels has increasingly recognised the importance of incorporating social aims in the delivery of public services. Social criteria in relation to employment are critical to ensuring fairness, transparency and sustainability in public procurement processes. Access to decent work, fair treatment of workers, and non-discrimination in terms and conditions of employment in public contracts are important social aims. Rights to collective bargaining are central to achieving these aims.

The promotion of collective bargaining is a fundamental social aim of the European Union. The capacity for public procurement to promote and enhance collective bargaining depends on regulatory, policy and industrial relations contexts. This report explores these contexts in different national settings through case studies from Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK.

Focusing on EU Directives on procurement and minimum wages, the report analyses the factors that shape collective bargaining and public procurement across these different country contexts. It assesses Ireland’s current policies and regulatory frameworks and explores Ireland’s obligations and options regarding the promotion of collective bargaining. Potential reforms to strengthen collective bargaining include trade union recognition, expanded sectoral bargaining, and using collective bargaining as a criterion in awarding public contracts.