A POSSIBLE CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

With the emergence of the Conservative – Liberal coalition government the question now turns to whether the new incumbents will be able to honour pledges and more importantly how it’s going to be achieved. The issue of Employment Law is perhaps one area of the 2010 campaign that should have been given a higher profile. Health and Safety and Employment Law Specialists mhl support has taken the opportunity to study of how the sharing of power will affect both the speed and the extent of change in this area. Michael Slade, Managing Director of mhl support has taken a deep interest in the election. “There is a lot of common ground between the two parties on these particular issues. With both Liberals and Conservatives proposing changes that will increase the rights of employees. Both parties have stated that if any new legislation is introduced, then there must be a reduction in existing laws. In theory this process should see a large reduction in business administration costs, which in turn will contribute to economic recovery.” The differences in policy appear to focus around family rights, unemployment and the major topic of immigration. The issue of paternity leave is a hot topic. The Conservatives stated in their election manifesto that they would seek to increase the flexibility in which a parent is allowed to take time off from work in order to raise children. This follows the recent increases in paternity leave entitlement. In line with this, the Liberal Democrats want to allow fathers the right to paid time off to attend antenatal appointments with the mother. It is on the issue of immigration where the parties differ most. In the negotiations between the two parties the Liberal Democrats had to resign their policy on an amnesty for illegal immigrants. The Conservatives wanted to tighten up the rules on the student visa system, however this is a sticking point for the Liberals and an agreement is unlikely to be forthcoming. This issue was highlighted during the election campaign when it was discovered that Nigerian born illegal immigrant Rhoda Sulaimon entered the country five years ago on a student visa. She had volunteered to campaign on behalf of former Labour cabinet minister Hazel Blears. Both parties have highlighted youth unemployment as a major problem. Research carried out by the Conservative party showed that one in five young individuals is unemployed. To address this issue they propose a drive on the apprenticeship scheme. Small and medium enterprises will be offered a lump sum of £2000 for recruiting an apprentice. As Michael Slade explained: “The coalition manifesto looks good for employees, with improvements in the area of family rights and personal taxation. However understanding the complexities of employment law can be a minefield for owners of SME’s. Compliance specialists such as mhl support have extensive experience in helping businesses adapt when faced with new legislation and are on hand to offer advice and guidance. For the future we’d like to see legislation implemented which will have a positive effect on business, refocusing more on the rights of the employer, perhaps placing an emphasis on the responsibilities of employees – as David Cameron said on the steps of number 10, don’t ask “what are my entitlements, but what are my responsibilities.” - ENDS -

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