§ Mr. John Evansasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the religious orders membership of which he intends to propose should constitute a right not to belong to a trade union.
§ Mr. MayhewI have no such religious orders in mind. Legislation introduced by the last Government already establishes that, in a closed shop, the dismissal of an employee for non-membership of a union shall entitle him to claim compensation for unfair dismissal if, but only if, his grounds for not joining are religious ones.
It is the Government's intention to widen that right, so that it shall extend to those employees whose objections are based upon personal conviction not exclusively religious in character.
A code of practice will give guidance on this and other aspects of the closed shop.