Publishing giant Macmillan has been fined £55,000 by the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) for its failure to implement Information and Consultation Regulations in the first case of its kind.
Unite, the union which represents publishing and media workers, has been trying to persuade Macmillan to put the regulations – which would allow its 1,300 staff to be consulted over management decisions that affect them – into practice.
Macmillan had previously ignored two rulings by the Central Arbitration Committee which instructed the company to comply with the regulations.
The EAT considered this a “significant failure” under the regulations.
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However, Unite said it was concerned that the level of the fine would not act as a sufficient deterrent for companies in the future.
Douglas Williamson, a senior Unite representative at the company, said: “The biggest issue for us is that the company is still not informing and consulting us over fundamental issues which affect our day-to-day employment.”
