| Employment Relations Bill
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Mr. Bellingham: I agree with what the Minister said about the work-life balance agenda, although we take issue with him on parts of it. There is no question but that the vast majority of good businesses will do their level best to ensure that they get the most out of their employees, and that it is a genuine partnership. No business can succeed unless it is a partnership. Ensuring that employees are happy, and that everything about their commitment to that company is as harmonious as possible, will result in them making Column Number: 148 a bigger commitment to that company in terms of the work that they do. We agree with the Minister on that. I applaud him for attending the awards ceremony, and I hope that he will attend many more such ceremonies.There are a couple of points on which I seek further clarification. Regarding section 104C of the Employment Rights Act, I could not find the section in the original statute. Will the Minister tell us which subsequent legislation added that section? He addressed my point about the new legislation regarding the right to flexible contracts. Is he saying that the legislation we now have giving certain employees the right to request flexible contracts has resulted in the reduction in the one-year qualifying period? If that is the case, I would be slightly more sympathetic, and if he can confirm that I would seek the Committee's leave to withdraw the amendment. Mr. Sutcliffe: I reassure the hon. Gentleman that this is the case. That is why the 26 weeks provision is there. It is the right to ask for flexible working—the employer retains the right to refuse that request if it is, in his view, detrimental to the business. It is about trying to ensure that there is a satisfactory joint arrangement whereby both employer and employee benefit. The section that he quoted is from the Employment Act 2002. I forgot to answer the point raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Hamilton, South (Mr. Tynan). Subsection (5) ensures that there is no upper age limit preventing unfair dismissal claims based on flexible working. With that, I ask the hon. Member for North-West Norfolk to withdraw his amendment. Mr. Bellingham: I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Clause 30 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Adjourned accordingly at twenty-one minutes to Eleven o'clock till Tuesday 24 February at half-past Nine o'clock. Column Number: 149
Stevenson, Mr. George (Chairman) Atkins, Charlotte Atkinson, Mr. Peter Bellingham, Mr. Cotter, Brian Cruddas, Jon Djanogly, Mr. Column Number: 150 Owen, Albert Picking, Anne Sheridan, Jim Stewart, Ian Sutcliffe, Mr. Tynan, Mr.
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| Prepared 10 February 2004 | |
