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International Labour Law

It would not be wise for me to become a mediator between First Group and Teamsters. The issue should be resolved between the unions and the company within the legal framework in which they operate. Employment practices are a function of each country’s traditions, history and institutional arrangements. My hon. Friend the Member for Crewe and Nantwich referred to the trade union influence on our party and on the legal framework that we operate in the UK. Some European countries have legally enforceable collective agreements whereas this country tends not to have them. We probably would be concerned if a German company operating in the UK were to say that collective agreements must be both legally enforceable and contain peace clauses forbidding strikes, as is the case in Germany. Such an approach comes from its tradition; things do not operate in the same way in our tradition. We do not expect British companies to operate in an identical manner around the globe, but we hope that British companies operating abroad respect local practices and traditions. Of course that does not mean that companies should systematically exploit their work forces or deliberately flout international labour standards. There are minimum core standards that should be applied worldwide.