Blog: A new social and economic model
by Hazel Gavigan & Niall Shanahan
 
The panel discussion looked at how the pandemic has challenged people’s common perceptions and preconceptions, outlining the opportunity we now have to devise a new model.
The panel discussion looked at how the pandemic has challenged people’s common perceptions and preconceptions, outlining the opportunity we now have to devise a new model.

The first of Fórsa’s summer series took place online last Friday (26th June) and examined what a new social and economic model could look like in a post-Covid world.

 

The panel discussion looked at how the pandemic has challenged people’s common perceptions and preconceptions, outlining the opportunity we now have to devise a new model.

 

Each of the panellists emphasised that now is the time to re-think Ireland’s macro-economic policy and strongly invest in public services, while building on the positives that have emerged from the crisis, such as new remote and flexible work practices.

 

Kevin Callinan called for a reformation of the country’s entire tax system – not just income tax – stating it’s the only way to achieve the kind of public services seen in Northern European states. This sentiment is echoed in Professor Aidan Regan’s column, which is reproduced on forsa.ie with kind permission (see link below). He outlines the history of social dialogue in Ireland and advises that "tax is the Achilles heel" in the Programme for Government.

 

He says it's hard to imagine an investment-led economic recovery that does not take into account the bigger societal challenge of climate change, and that this represents "a real opportunity to radically reform the public sector."

 

Prior to the Covid-19 crisis, Kevin Callinan and the employer body IBEC continued to call for the creation of a new social dialogue to address social and economic challenges in Ireland. Covid-19 brings with it a fresh set of challenges on top of those existing in healthcare, housing and the environment, driving home the need for a new social dialogue model more than ever.

 

To register for future sessions, please contact us HERE.

 

Read Professor Aidan Regan’s full article here: If we want a society like our northern European friends, we need similar taxes

 

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

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