1. 0 IntoductionFarelly (2012) states in the “Economic Context” section on Eurofound.ie that Ireland is a small open economy that is heavily dependent on foreign direct investment by foreign multinationals. Due to its low corporate tax and English-speaking workforce, Ireland attracts these multinationals. In the 1990s, Ireland experienced an economic boom, commonly known as the “Celtic Tiger”, which was accompanied by high levels of employment growth and the creation of many new jobs. Unfortunately, this did not last, as in 2008 there was a severe economic recession which caused a rapid increase in unemployment which, in turn, led to very high levels of emigration to places like Australia. Emigration meant that money left the Irish economy, also known as leakage. Farelly (2012) writes that a huge number of job losses have occurred since 2008 and that unemployment rose to 14.5% in 2011 due to the recession. For this reason, Ireland has earned a negative image which has not encouraged any foreign direct investment. LRC (nd) explains that due to factors such as pay cuts and layoffs as employers do their best to reduce costs, employees have seen their livelihoods threatened and therefore industrial relations have become strained. The Employment Relations Commission has found itself dealing with an increasing number of pay and dismissal related referrals with its conciliation service. This essay will discuss the changes that have affected industrial relations law, collective bargaining, trade unions and the employment tribunal over the last 30 years. 2.0 Industrial Relations Act 2.1 Industrial Relations Act 1990 According to LRC (nd) in the 1970s, Irish Industrial Relations saw frequent quarrels and st...... middle of paper ......and economic crisis : where now? Retrieved April 2, 2014, from: http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/media/housesoftheoireachtas/libraryresearch/spotlights/spotTradeunion040611_143334.pdf• ​​​​ENTEMP. (n.d.) Industrial Relations Act 1990. Retrieved 2 April 2014 from: http://www.djei.ie/publications/employment/2002/industrialrelationsguide.pdf• ​​​​GUESTPOST. (2013) Law reform must protect the human right to collective bargaining. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from: http://humanrights.ie/constitution-of-ireland/reform-of-law-must-protect-human-right-to-collective-bargaining/• Farrelly,R. (n.d.). Ireland: industrial relations profile. Retrieved April 4, 2014, from:www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/country/ireland.pdf• ​​​​LRC. (2010). Industrial relations in Ireland. Retrieved April 6, 2014, from: http://www.business2000.ie/pdf/pdf_13/lrc_13th_ed.pdf