The Taoiseach has appealed to the trade union movement not to abandon the system of social partnership.
Mr Ahern was speaking at the launch in Liberty Hall, Dublin, yesterday of a book on Jim Larkin who led workers in the 1913 lock-out. James Larkin Lion of the Fold is published by SIPTU in association with Gill & Macmillan and RTE.
It is compiled and edited by Mr Donal Nevin, former general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the body which Larkin founded.
Mr Ahern described social partnership as one of the greatest achievements of the trade union movement. "The trade union movement has a status of equality not only with employers but with Government," he said.
The book encompasses a wide range of material on the influence of Larkin in the creation of the Irish trade union movement.
It features contributions by historians and writers as well as documents and letters, including archival material from the national archives in Dublin, Washington and Canberra.
Guest speaker was Mr John J. Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO in the United States. Former president Dr Patrick Hillery was among the guests.