Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) multinational companies and (c) non-governmental organisations on ensuring businesses adhere to global human rights and environmental norms.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
The Government supports and encourages the current voluntary approach to human rights and environmental standards for multinational companies in the UK. This approach is set out in international frameworks such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises, and ensures businesses adhere to global norms. The Government continues to keep this approach under review, including by welcoming discussion with companies and non-Governmental Organisations.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the opinion of the Regulatory Policy Committee on the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
Our legislation is sensible and proportionate and is designed to protect lives and livelihoods.
The Department is grateful for the Regulatory Policy Committee's feedback on the Impact Assessment and is currently taking their opinion into consideration.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government has plans to reduce the notice period required for strike action.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
The Government has no plans to reduce the current two weeks’ notice period for industrial action which is necessary to enable employers to adequately prepare.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if the Government will set a target for collective bargaining coverage of above 90 per cent.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
In the UK, collective bargaining is largely a matter for individual employers, their employees and their trade unions. Most collective bargaining in the UK takes place because employers have voluntarily agreed to recognise a trade union and bargain with it.
Where an employer refuses to recognise a union voluntarily, the union can apply to the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) for statutory union recognition. This will be granted so long as the union can demonstrate majority support in the workplace.
The Government believes this democratic approach is more appropriate than setting a target for collective bargaining coverage.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, what steps she has taken to seek collective agreements with trade unions on minimum service levels.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
It is not for the Government to negotiate directly with unions on collective bargaining agreements. Those negotiations are for the parties involved, the unions and the direct employers. A number of employers in the public sector have successfully negotiated voluntary minimum service levels with unions, but that has not always been the case. That is why the Government is bringing in the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill to ensure that a minimum level of service is provided in the important public services specified in the Bill.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals to enable secondary industrial action.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
The Government believes that industrial action should only take place where there is a workplace dispute between a group of workers and their direct employer. Secondary action has proved to be very damaging to the UK economy in the past.
That is why secondary action is prohibited under our trade union legislation. This ban on secondary action was upheld by the European Court of Human Rights in 2014.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government plans to enable trade unions to hold ballots for industrial action online.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
The Government is considering the Knight review recommendations on electronic balloting and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the findings of the recent Four Day Week pilot involving 61 UK businesses.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
The Government does not believe there can be a ‘one size fits all’ approach to work arrangements. That is why our policy leaves space for employers and employees to agree suitable arrangements for their particular circumstances.
The Right to Request Flexible Working allows employees to apply for changes to the hours, timing or location of work. In December 2022, the Government published its response to the consultation “making flexible working the default”[1]. This committed to make changes to the Right to Request Flexible Working to boost availability, several of which are being taken forward through the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill[2].
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/making-flexible-working-the-default
[2] https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3198
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing the proposals of the Better Business Act campaign.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
The Better Business Act campaign makes a constructive proposal for a new legal duty on directors with regard to society and the environment, but the Government is not convinced that it is workable. Section 172 of the Companies Act already requires directors to have regard to the environment, employees, customers and suppliers, among other matters. Since 2019, directors of large companies have been required to make an annual statement describing how they have had regard to these matters.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will work with (a) disabled people and (b) disability charities in the development of the Government’s new approach to consumer protection.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
Throughout the consultative process in relation to reforming competition and consumer policy, the Government has been open to hearing from a full range of stakeholders, including disability and vulnerability advocacy groups.
We will continue to engage with stakeholders during Bill passage to ensure consumer protection reforms are tailored to and reflect the full range of consumer needs across the UK.