Companies and organisations employing more than 50 staff need to put systems in place to allow meaningful dialogue to take place between managers and staff, providing enough staff request them.
Specifically, the Information and Consultation Regulations 2004 require employers to inform and consult employees and their representatives on a range of key business, employment and restructuring issues.
Employees have a right to be told what's going on and a right to be heard.
Many well-run, successful companies have informed and consulted with their employees for years, through agreements negotiated with unions, or through Works Councils or staff forums, before these regulations came into force. Sensible employers know only too well the competitive edge that comes from helping staff feel more valued and involved in the running of their firm or organisation. Only bad managers who insist on keeping their staff in the dark fear these new regulations.
The rights under the Directive are meant to add to other rights employees have rather than replace them. Therefore in cases of collective redundancies and Transfers of Undertaking (under TUPE Regulations) the existing rights for recognised unions to be informed and consulted still apply.
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