Active learning ideas
This topic explores the history and current state of the trade union movement in Ireland. Students examine how collective bargaining and the right to strike have shaped the modern Irish workplace. The unit covers the transition from the industrial struggles of the 1913 Lockout to the contemporary challenges of the 'gig economy' and the decline in private-sector union membership.
Activity 01
Divide the class into 'Management' and 'Union' teams for a fictional delivery company. They are given a set of constraints (rising fuel costs vs. inflation-hit wages) and must negotiate a new contract. This teaches students the art of compromise and the mechanics of collective bargaining.
Why do trade unions exist?
Activity 02
In pairs, students research the legal status of 'platform workers' (e.g., Deliveroo riders or Uber drivers) in Ireland. They must identify three ways these workers are vulnerable and propose how a modern union could support them. This connects historical union concepts to the modern world of work.
How do unions negotiate with employers and the government?
Activity 03
Display images and short texts from key moments in Irish labor history (the 1913 Lockout, the 1970s strikes, the Dunnes Stores Anti-Apartheid strike). Students move through the 'gallery' and identify how the goals of unions have changed, or stayed the same, over the last century.
What is the future of workers' rights in the gig economy?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Trade unions are only for factory workers or manual laborers.
In modern Ireland, some of the strongest unions represent teachers, nurses, and civil servants. A 'Who is in a Union?' sorting activity can help students see the diversity of unionized professions today.
Striking is the first thing unions do when there is a problem.
Striking is a 'last resort' after collective bargaining and mediation (e.g., through the Workplace Relations Commission) have failed. A flowchart of the dispute resolution process helps students understand the legal steps involved.
Methods used in this brief
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