LUTON NORTH MP PROMOTES LEGISLATION TO END SECRET GENERAL MOTORS DECISIONS

Luton North MP, Kelvin Hopkins is promoting a Bill in Parliament requiring large employers to consult with their employees on major decisions. If such legislation had already been in place, General Motors would not have been able to announce closure of Vauxhall without first discussing the decision with their workers at Luton. Many of the 2,000 employees whose jobs are threatened live in Mr Hopkins' constituency.

Mr Hopkins was lucky enough to be drawn in the ballot for Private Members' Bills late last year. This gives him the opportunity to promote legislation on an important subject. Mr Hopkins said, “The manner of General Motors' announcement, leaked out through the media without any attempt to inform the workforce first still rankles with both myself and, I know, the whole workforce. In many European countries, workers have the right to be consulted before such decisions are made. I want this to be the case in the UK too. My Bill draws on the work of both the Trades Union Congress, the Industrial Society – a charity campaigning to improve working lives, and the Institute of Employment Rights.

“It is entitled The Employee Consultation Rights Bill and will require employers with more than 50 employees in the UK to consult with their employees before making major decisions such as redundancy or closure. Enlightened employers may also wish to consult the workforce on investment decisions. There is a near-consensus that workforce consultation is good for business. It engenders employee trust and motivation and a sense of partnership, and enhances productivity.

“I am seventeenth in the order of Bills so it will be difficult to get the Bill on the Statute Book, but in a likely General Election year, my Bill will send a powerful political message to the Government about the feelings of Vauxhall workers. Indeed, I hope the Government will actively support my Bill.”

Note to Editors:
Mr Hopkins' Employee Consultation Rights Bill covers employers with more than 50 employees. This is only 2.4 per cent of businesses (so the vast majority would be exempted) but covers 64 per cent of all private sector employees.