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Industrial Relations

Volume 806: debated on Thursday 12 November 1970

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37.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received from the Commission on Industrial Relations concerning his proposals for statutory reform of industrial relations and their effect on the future rôle of the Commission; and if he will make a statement.

I am still in consultation with the Commission about its rôle in my proposals for legislation on industrial relations.

41.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the trade union rights he intends to include in the Code of Industrial Relations Practice; and if he will state which of these rights will be legally enforceable.

The statutory rights of trade unions will be established in the Bill and these are set out in the consultative document. The code of practice will certainly include guidance about what trade unions can justifiably expect from employers to the conduct of relations between them but, as made clear in the consultative document, the code itself will not be directly enforceable at law but would be taken into account in proceedings before the National Industrial Relations Court and the Industrial Tribunals.

47.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment on what criterion he based his assessment that five weeks was an adequate time for the trade unions and others to prepare their observations on his Consultative Document on Industrial Relations.

The timetable for consultation has been designed to allow Parliament the maximum time to consider the Bill which the Government will shortly introduce. The substance of the Government's policy was already well known, having been the subject of public debate for over two years.

59.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has received and studied the statement by the National Association of Local Government Officers on the Government's proposals on industrial relations, which has been forwarded to him by the hon. Member for West Ham, North; and whether he will make a statement of the Government's policy on this.