Business Can Lead the Way out of Jobs Black Hole - by Anj Handa, head of employment and skills at Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce (PICTURED)

In 1979, a Tory opposition swept power away from an incumbent Labour government on the back of one issue – unemployment. Back then unemployment was the hot topic in the election, with the iconic Saatchi and Saatchi ad campaign showing a snaking line of people queuing for the unemployment office under the headline: ‘Labour isn’t working’.

Three decades later, unemployment is again a hot issue and one that all the political parties will be trying to convince voters that they have the solution for. But for us at the Chamber, how any of them will actually attempt to tackle this problem remains unclear.

Yorkshire Businesses are playing a key role in a new campaign calling for employment law to be made fairer to businesses, after a report launched today by the British Chambers of Commerce has shown that a relentless flow of employment regulation and dysfunctional tribunal service is stifling UK competiveness and risking future job creation.

On March 26^th, Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce has invited local business leaders to meet with MPs and senior civil servants to launch the report, titled Employment Regulation: Up to the Job, and lobbying campaign which calls for the level of employment regulation to be reduced and rebalanced and the tribunal system to be overhauled.

The report shows that the average waiting time for a first hearing at an employment tribunal is 20 weeks, and with over half of UK cases dismissed*, the Chamber believes that too many innocent employers are being dragged through a lengthy procedure and incurring unnecessary costs, which many businesses simply cannot afford in the current economic climate. The campaign also calls for it to become compulsory for employees to receive professional advice from either a solicitor or ACAS, the workplace dispute advisory service, before submitting a formal claim, which it believes will reduce the number of unfounded cases making it to tribunal.

Your Chamber are hosting Clive Johnson, Head of Health and Safety at ASDA, in a training seminar on 22 March. In a previous role, Clive was responsible for the Health and Safety during the building of Heathrow's Terminal 5. He is very interesting speaker and will bring a wealth of in depth knowledge and experience to this seminar and to Chamber members. 

'Health and Safety in the Workplace' is a must attend for anyone with responsibility for Health and Safety at companies of all sizes. Ensure that you are able to identify the actions necessary as an employer to promote a safe workplace, by looking at factors such as accident prevention, proactive management systems and potential hazards.