Kevin Rowan column

Apr 11 2005 By Kevin Rowan, The Journal

The long-awaited implementation of the information and consultation regulations last Wednesday will be welcomed by many workers in the North-East.

From April 6 companies and organisations with more than 150 staff need to have systems in place to allow meaningful dialogue to take place between managers and staff. While welcome, the demands of the regulations are hardly onerous, in fact, most businesses should be unaffected by their introduction.

The basic requirements of the legislation require employers to inform and consult their employees on issues relating to the business that may affect their employment. Fairly straightforward stuff.

The employer is also required to consult meaningfully on any changes they are considering introducing. Some employers may find the "meaningful" bit of this duty a little more difficult than others, some are often guilty of deploying "the right to manage" as an excuse for not including the workforce in changes that directly affect them. Well run companies will already be doing more than the regulations require, but the minority who have standards below those covered in the regulations will need to change.

Not only have employers got nothing to fear from the regulations, they should actually seize this as a positive opportunity. An increasing body of evidence shows that information and consultation with workers is actually good for business.

An eight-country European study found that direct worker participation had "a strong impact on economic performance."

In this context employers and employees should welcome the implementation of the information and consultation regulations in the UK. The new framework could completely revolutionise the way in which many workers in the region find out about the activities their company are engaged in and about potential and actual changes to their employment. People want to be treated with respect and this cannot be the case if they are kept in the dark about issues and developments that could affect their lives so dramatically, like their employment ending.

On the up-side, this is another tool to help the region progress in improving its productivity and competitiveness, something everybody will welcome.