Opinion: Don't re-instate Beecroft

Malcolm Martin, managing director at Employer Solutions, takes on the IoD's plans for regulation reform.

However, statutory employment law, which new law would mainly be, will not help. What has happened is that a body of case law that has built up in British and European courts and it makes simple principles immeasurably complicated.

It is disappointing that the IoD wants to see more a no strike laws to clamp down on “militant trade unions”. Entering an unnecessary battle with the trade unions may be counter productive.

This is neither needed nor particularly likely to work. What we have seen in the last twelve months is some important changes, such as the need for deposits before a tribunal claim and a more proactive approach to awarding costs. These should be given time to bed down as the effects could be dramatic.

That is sad, because in my view there are far more important fish to fry. Better training for business owners, leaders and managers will help small businesses to survive, become medium sized businesses and grow.

And, fortunately, the IoD is also putting its weight behind the Growth Accelerator programme which provides coaching support to small growing businesses. The IoD’s union-bashing and regulation blaming should be consigned to the bin.