Minister for Labour Affairs Mr. Frank Fahey T.D. at the launch of the NCPP Conference "Building High Performance Workplaces - the Role of Information and Consultation" Galway,

Wednesday 26^th November 2003.

Minister for Labour Affairs Mr. Frank Fahey T.D. today (26^th November 2003) addressed the National Centre for Partnership and Performance Conference (NCPP) on "Building High Performance Workplaces- the Role of Information and Consultation". The NCPP has been established by the Government to support and drive change in the Irish workplace.

Speaking at the conference Minister Fahey said, "I would like to acknowledge the NCPP's contribution to supporting and driving change in the Irish workplace, which enables organisations in the private and public sectors, through partnership, to build capability and to improve performance. Conferences such as this provide a useful forum for discussion and productive exchanges."

"In Ireland, we have seen the benefits of partnership at national level. Our social partnership model has been a crucial element in the economic success that we have achieved over the past decade. We now want to meet the challenge of embedding partnership and making it a reality for workers and employers at enterprise level. It is the Irish Government's policy to encourage improvement in information and consultation of employees in enterprises as a means of improving competitiveness and the development of a greater sense of partnership at the level of the enterpris," continued Minister Fahey.

"Last July, I launched a Consultation Paper on the EU Directive on Information and Consultation and my Department is currently considering the submissions received. It is important to me that effective and meaningful consultation takes place with the social partners as part of the process of transposing the EU Directive into Irish law. On foot of the consultation ongoing by my Department, I aim to have further consultations in advance of publishing draft legislation next summer with a view to having the legislation in place by March 2005. The result should be a balanced and solid Act that reflects the needs of all stakeholders in the workplace," added Minister Fahey.

"It is encouraging to see the level of interest in this Conference, which provides a helpful forum for obtaining your views on this important subject. The NCPP has embarked on an Information and Consultation Project - supported by the EU Commission's Directorate General of Employment and Social Affairs. The Project has involved the establishment of a learning network comprising 15 organisations drawn from the public and private sectors. I look forward to reading the Report on the outcomes of the research, concluded Minister Fahey.

ENDS/LA58