Prospect's Perspective

Our perspective could best be described as "relentlessly positive". This is partly because of the nature of our organisation but also for the following three specific reasons:

The ICER regulations represent an opportunity to strengthen information of consultation arrangements in practice as well as in theory in employment areas in which we operate. This is after all the purpose of the original directive and of the regulations.

It also gives an opportunity with employers to build better businesses. In our view, successful organisations will be those which inform and consult their staff through strong representative trade unions. There are examples of this in the UK but as it is topical perhaps I could point to the situation in Germany.

Although Germany has been described as the sick man of Europe, its manufacturing story is hugely impressive. Precisely in those areas with strong trade unions and co-determination the record particularly as an exporter of manufactured goods is exceptional it's mainly in the service sector where information and consultation or co-determination has struggled.

The purpose of this seminar is to look at the application of the information and consultation regulations in the UK not more widely but there are perhaps lessons we can learn from this. The lesson I take is that the regulation does not help.

The third and final reason for a positive view is that the ICER regulations, in our opinion, present an outstanding organising opportunity. This is particularly in areas where we are not recognised and where we can use the regulations, preferably on a voluntary basis, to set up consultative machinery, to recruit, and to show the benefits of strong and independent trade unions to all concerned.