§ 15. Mr. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will meet the Confederation of British Industry to discuss the long-term improvement of industrial relations.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkMy right hon. Friend is in regular touch with the CBI on this and other issues; meetings are held from time to time.
§ Mr. KnoxWhen my hon. Friend next meets representatives of the CBI will he impress on them the importance of greater employee participation as a means of improving industrial relations in the long term? Does he think that British industry is doing enough about that?
§ Mr. ClarkWe welcome increased employee participation on a voluntary basis, with the consent and readiness of both parties to partake. We are against legislation, which is why we view with some misgivings the EC draft directives on this subject.
§ Mr. WrigglesworthIf the Government are intending to continue to press for balloting in trade unions, will they think again about their commitment to work place ballots in the light of the NUM election which has taken place in the last few days? Will they reconsider postal balloting? Is it not clear from the leaked press reports during the past few days that there has been no secrecy in the NUM ballot, and that postal balloting is the only means of overcoming the problem?
§ Mr. ClarkThe hon. Gentleman may know —although he is not a very frequent visitor to the Committee and I cannot recall whether he was present at the time — that the subject of postal balloting was dealt with recently in Committee.