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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsEconomyStarted 12yrs agoActive 5mos ago

Do you believe labor unions help or hurt the economy?

There are currently 55 trade unions with membership of Congress, representing about 600,000 workers in Ireland. Unions members represent 35% of the country’s labor force, down from 55% in 1980. 50% of union members are in the public sector. Opponents of Ireland’s unions argue that public sector workers have too many benefits and the government cannot adjust them due to union contracts. Proponents argue that unions give workers a collective voice that is necessary to negotiate pay and worker safety.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 12.7k Ireland voters.

74%
Help
26%
Hurt
54%
Help
24%
Hurt
12%
Help, in theory but have recently become corrupt and should have their powers limited
3%
Hurt, I support some private unions but am strongly against public unions
7%
Help, but ban their ability to make political donations

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 12.7k Ireland voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 12.7k Ireland voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from Ireland voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @B8N5VP2answered…5mos5MO

Hurt, but tbey are necessary to enforce workers rights and and give voice to the individual through having strength in numbers.

 @9H622GRanswered…2yrs2Y

Help and have a long and proud tradition dating back to the rising, which kids should be learning about.

 @9Q7TSKCanswered…2yrs2Y

Whilst they provide safeguarding for a lot of employees, they can sometimes limit growth for the economy for example the ARC furnaces. The stance of the union has not saved any jobs and in fact sped up the companies ability to close the other blast furnaces quicker

 @98HP2R9answered…3yrs3Y

Helps workers more than employers so limits their profits and spending but increases the spending of workers I think there’s an equilibrium

 @8Y7975Zanswered…4yrs4Y

Labour unions help their members. Other vested interest groups are allowed do that with very little restriction, regardless of how they affect the economy, and Labour unions should be no different.

 @8XFLST7answered…4yrs4Y

Labor unions help but from a distance

 @8RLNYM8answered…5yrs5Y

Help, because the economy should not be based on the exploitation of the workers

 @8R6FQGWanswered…5yrs5Y

Hurt, I support some private unions but am strongly against public unions Help, but ban their ability to make political donations

Latest News

Stay up-to-date on the most recent “Labor Unions” news articles, updated frequently.

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…1yr1Y

Volkswagen Faces Explosive Strikes Over Plant Closures and Job Cuts

Tens of thousands of Volkswagen workers will participate Monday in strikes at plants across Germany, labor union IG Metall said, marking the largest walkouts at the carmaker’s domestic operations since 2018.The walkouts, which are planned to last several hours, follow weeks of collective bargaining negotiations during which VW refused to rule out mass layoffs and potential plant closures in its home market — drastic measures the company says are necessary to prop up its fortunes amid competition from China and weaker European demand.A so-called “peace obligation” between workers and the company, which prohibited industrial action, expired on Saturday, allowing strikes to take place from Sunday at virtually all of Volkswagen’s German factories.“If necessary, this will become the toughest wage dispute Volkswagen has ever seen,” IG Metall’s chief negotiator Thorsten Groeger said in a statement Sunday. “How long and intense this dispute will be is Volkswagen’s responsibility at the negotiating table.”“Volkswagen has set our collective bargaining agreements on fire, and instead of extinguishing this fire during three rounds of negotiations, the management board keeps throwing open barrels of gasoline onto it,” he added.The walkouts will be the first large-scale strikes that Volkswagen has faced since 2018, according to IG Metall, when 50,000 workers idled plants over pay. Although the work stoppages will last only a few hours, it is possible that 24-hour warning strikes could be called later this year. Indefinite strikes could also be called as a last resort, but only after members have been consulted again, IG Metall said.The strikes represent a fresh headache for Europe’s largest automaker, which saw operating profit for the first nine months of the year tumble by a fifth from the previous year, as its flagship brand struggled. Vehicle sales also slipped on particularly weak demand in China, where it is losing market share to Chinese electric vehicle brands.

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