Minimum labour standards in a social partnership system - the persistence of the Irish variant of wages councils

peer-reviewedThis article examines the Irish variant of the Wages Councils, Joint Labour Committees (JLC), which set legally binding minimum pay and conditions for low-paid workers in some sectors. We trace the reasons for the continued existence of the JLC system even after the introduction of a National Minimum Wage in 2000. We also examine its contemporary relevance and the prospects for its retention in the future, particularly in light of growing employer opposition to them