The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) yesterday reacted negatively to news that the government is considering offering workers new consultation rights.
Susan Anderson, CBI Director of Human Resources Policy, said: "This is a classic example of somebody coming up with a solution before defining the problem. It is not obvious that employees need extra rights on top of those already in place.
"Employers and employees would see this as consultation for consultations sake. It would be naive to think that we might change hard commercial decisions by requiring employers to consult in advance."
Mrs Anderson said that business would continue to fight "tooth and nail" against the proposed European Union Directive on information and consultation.
"We are not looking for a compromise," she said. "We simply do not believe that consultation procedures need EU-level legislation. It effectively pushes open the door to the harmonisation of all EU employment legislation."
She added that business would also oppose the TUC suggestion for a right to "solidarity" industrial action to be included in the proposed European Charter of Human Rights.
"The right to solidarity secondary strike action would cause untold disruption," she said. "I don't think it is alarmist to suggest that it could recreate the industrial conflict of the 1970s."
