Mark Prisk
Main Page: Mark Prisk (Conservative - Hertford and Stortford)
Julie Hilling (Bolton West) (Lab)
I want to speak about the proposed changes to employment legislation, an area in which I have many years of experience and in which I get increasingly frustrated by comments made by Government Members who either do not understand the limitations of current employment legislation or deliberately want to take us back to the days when mill and pit owners could treat their employees like slaves, work them till they dropped, and pay no regard to their health and well-being.
The UK does not have wonderful employment rights; of the 36 richest countries, we come 34th. Only Canada and America are worse. That should not say to anyone that employment rights are holding back our growth. Indeed, we know only too well that when international companies want to close factories in Europe, they close a factory in Britain before they close one in France or Germany because of the cheapness and simplicity of making workers here redundant.
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Mr Mark Prisk)
On that basis, how come it is a German GM factory, not a British one, that is closing?
Julie Hilling
The Minister gives one example, and we could collectively give many examples in which the opposite has happened—many examples over the years when it has been British factories that closed and French and German ones that stayed open.
There is already an inequitable relationship between employer and employee. Before Government Members nod their heads in agreement, let me say that power is still firmly in the hands of the employer. Employers can do as they like as long as they follow simple and fair procedures. If an employer wants to dismiss a worker for misconduct, all they have to do is carry out a proper investigation, allow the employee representation and give them the right of appeal. As long as the employer has a reasonable belief that the employee has done something wrong, they can dismiss them.