DTI promises wider talks – Alan Johnson’s letter

Alan Johnson responds to Personnel Today's demands for HR to be included in the Government's employee consultation review.

Dear Personnel Today

Thank you for your letter of 12 February 2001 to Stephen Byers. I am responding as the minister responsible for employment relations.

I was encouraged to learn from your open letter in the 13 February edition of Personnel Today that the HR profession is keen to engage constructively in the review announced by Stephen Byers on 18 January.

Recent events have highlighted concerns about the way employees find out about redundancies and the lack of consultation. The Government accepts this is a complex area which requires careful consideration. We are therefore committed to a thorough and wide-ranging review. We want to uncover all relevant aspects and not rush into precipitate decisions on the basis of specific events or inadequate evidence. It is for this reason that at this stage we cannot be more precise about the questions you have raised and the direction of the review, but we take note of your views.

However, I would like to assure your readers that it is not the case that we will only consult the CBI and TUC. We will also be meeting with as many individual companies as possible (including, I hope, with HR directors), trade unions and representative bodies.

For your part, I am sure your journal will continue to take an interest in this issue and I welcome this.

Yours sincerely

Alan Johnson
Minister for Competitiveness