Employee relations vital to business strength

Good employment relations will add a new competitive edge to business, Acas Chief Executive John Taylor told CBI North East today at the Stadium of Light.

Mr Taylor, who was the guest speaker at the CBI event, said that it was an ethos many of the Region's top executives should adopt when facing the next stage of human relations challenges.

John Taylor said: "In a world of uncertainty, the only certainty for managers is to get their employment relations right.

"Being at the periphery of the EU means that the North East has to perform that much better than its rivals in the productivity and competitiveness stakes. Flexibility and willingness to accept change are key components in ensuring this. But, in turn, they can only flow from good employment relations where the workforce and unions are dedicated and bought into the success of their venture."

Mr Taylor went on to emphasise the importance of dialogue at every level, from individual workplaces to social partners in the region, in helping gear up to face the future.

"There is no doubt that sharing experience and information is a vital ingredient of facing change effectively. The NE Employee Relations Forum, in which both Acas and the CBI are active participants together with prominent local leaders of trade unions and business, helps this dialogue by bringing together people from all sides of employment relations to discuss today's workplace issues and tomorrow's challenges."

Acas is an independent statutory body designed to improve organisations and working life through better employment relations.

(GMcG)