Last week Manufacturing NI hosted a Townhall meeting at the Glenavon House Hotel to ensure manufacturers’ voices are heard on the Good Jobs Bill, which is due before the NI Assembly in January.
We are broadly supportive of large parts of the legislation, as the manufacturing sector is a creator of “Good Jobs”. We do have concerns about some of the workforce representation.
You can see more about the proposed legislation here, and please consider this recent paper, which contains a lot of information which underpins the proposed legislation, prepared by Lisa Wilson of the NERI Institute, who spoke at the Townhall event.
A number of important themes were raised by manufacturing firms in the room, including:
- Requests for more evidence on productivity differences in union and non-union environments.
- Northern Ireland’s current model supports business agility, with many employers already committed to positive, productive workplaces.
- Agreement on many positive elements of the Bill, alongside concern that these may be overshadowed by the focus on union access.
- The need for stronger evidence and greater visibility of the proposed legislation.
- A call for continued direct engagement with government, including business visits, to ensure a more balanced understanding.
For now, it must be said though, that the room was not at all convinced that the proposals under the Voice and Representation strand of the potential Good Jobs Bill are good for business, good for workers, good for the economy and particularly for relationships.
Employers, both those where a union is operating and where there is no union, unanimously rejected the arguments made by the Department. citing real life experiences of poor behaviour from some Trade Unions which some firms continue to endure.
Huge efforts have been made by employers to provide a positive and inclusive workplace, where the workers voice is respected. The fear is that this bill (more access) will create a “them and us” problem which is in no one’s interest.
We appreciate everyone who took time away from their day-to-day responsibilities to contribute and share their experiences, our collective industry voice is vital in helping to inform and shape the outcome of future legislation.
Slides from the event are found here: Good Jobs Bills Townhall Dec 25[19]