Voice lost on industrial bill

Press, 15 October 1976, Page 12

Voice lost on industrial bill

The Government must expect powerful opposition to the legislation it has produced to impose penalties for what it calls political strikes. Most of this criticism will come from the industrial unions; some may come from employers who see faults in the Industrial Relations Bill. But the chance that, at the highest level, the union movement and the employers will be in complete agreement is very slim. The Industrial Relations Council was never likely to reach a unanimous opinion on the legislation, though it might have agreed on certain modifications or alternatives. That is why the withdrawal of the Federation of Labour from the Industrial Council is a pointless gesture. Both sides of industry repeatedly talk of the merits of consultation and discussion. Now that the Federation of Labour has withdrawn from the council, the chance of producing a concerted opinion on any aspect of the legislation has disappeared entirely. This has weakened the position

of the Federation of Labour. The federation has given the Government cause to ignore the council, for nothing useful can come from its deliberations now — on the Industrial Relations Bill or on any other subject. So long as the council was working the federation at least had a strong argument, and one that should appeal to a wide public, that the Government should show some regard for the conclusions reached by both sides of industry.

Decisions on the proposals in the bill are now left to Parliament’s labour bill committee, which will weigh separate submissions. These submissions may be made public, and the arguments for and against the contents of the bill may be aired in Parliament when the committee reports to the House. But it would have been far better if the Industrial Relations Council could have produced a commentary on the bill, including dissenting opinions where these were inevitable. It is to be hoped that the F.O.L. will reconsider its attitude to the council.