§ Mr. Craigenasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the policy of the Government on proposals by the European Commission for a directive on procedures for informing and consulting employees of undertakings with complex structures, in particular transnational undertakings, as described in document COM (80)423 final.
§ Mr. Mayhew[pursuant to his reply, 15 December 1980]: The European Commission has stated that it considers many of the problems raised in its proposal for a directive to be exceedingly complex and that some points will no doubt require clarification in the light of consultations.
Although I cannot anticipate what changes the Commission may subsequently put forward, the present proposals seek to impose a single inflexible system upon employers and are contrary to our policy that companies should develop their own systems of employee involvement, including arrangements for the provision of information and for consultation, which are appropriate to their particular circumstances.