CIPD consultation response: A modern industrial relations framework

We respond to the Department for Business and Trade’s consultation Making Work Pay: Creating a modern framework for industrial relations. 

We welcome the government’s consultation on creating a modern framework for industrial relations. Having a voice at work can make a fundamental difference to people’s working lives. It can also bring benefits to the business in terms of better employee engagement, commitment and performance. 

We respond to the consultation questions on the below link, addressing the need for a code of practice, support for businesses, strengthening sector-based social partnership and collective employer representation, and improving locally delivered HR support for SMEs. We highlight CIPD research data showing employer attitudes towards trade unions, and link to CIPD guidance on working with trade unions, which provides practical steps on building productive working relationships with unions.  

We also address the legal changes in the Employment Rights Bill that aren’t covered by this consultation, as we believe they are of real significance to the future of industrial relations.