merrion street

Presenting the inaugural Edward Phelan lecture entitled Lessons from the Irish internationalist who organized social justice, the Director-General of the International Labour Organisation Mr Guy Ryder, said that the achievements of Edward Phelan contained a message for workers, employers and the government of Ireland today:

Confronted with the gravest conflict in history, the ILO in 1941, under the leadership of an Irish internationalist, Edward Phelan, reminded us that fundamental social rights and tripartite cooperation not only remain relevant but are, in fact, necessary for survival and reconstruction. The failure to use these tools had significantly contributed to creating a world-wide crisis. That was true then; that is true today

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There were responses from Mr Séan Sherlock TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Research and Innovation, Mr David Begg, Irish Congress of Trade Unions and Mr Brendan McGinty, Irish Business and Employers Confederation.