§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce measures in his proposed employment relations legislation to prevent the dismissal of employees involved in a lawful strike. [96173]
§ Mr. Alan JohnsonWe intend to bring section 16 and Schedule 5 of the Employment Relations Act 1999 into force by Easter next year. These provisions will extend the right of protection for those dismissed for taking lawfully organised industrial action to complain to a tribunal of unfair dismissal. They will make it automatically unfair to dismiss workers for the first eight weeks of the action and give employees a right to claim unfair dismissal, if dismissed after the eight week period, where the employer has failed to follow all reasonable procedural steps to try to resolve the dispute. These provisions are designed to stop precipitate dismissals and to place an onus on both employers and unions to settle disputes by negotiation.