Employees still being 'kept in dark'

IRISH businesses need to do more to keep employees informed about decisions that affect their jobs, according to a leading research agency.

The government-sponsored National Centre for Partnership and Performance (NCPP) said new EU rules would force organisations to communicate and consult with employees about matters likely to impact on their jobs and work practices.

The European Employee Information and Consultation Directive would become part of Irish law next March. Organisations with 150 or more employees have just 10 months to prepare themselves for the new requirements. The rules will be phased in gradually to cover smaller businesses.

The NCPP said its research had found that half of employees in the private sector were "hardly ever" informed about significant issues affecting them. Public sector employees fared little better, with 40% claiming they were poorly informed.

NCPP director Lucy Fallon-Byrne said the new information and consultation laws would guarantee all employees a place in the consultation process, regardless of their education level or status within the organisation. "Not all of our employees' boats are being lifted by the tides of modernity and transparency," said Ms Fallon-Byrne.

Ireland and Britain are the only two countries in the EU that do not have a statutory framework to allow employees to be kept informed about decisions affecting them. The NCPP has published a series of EU-funded information packs that give details on best practice among Irish businesses in sharing information with employees.

It has also launched a booklet for businesses that outlines the new requirements and the steps they must take to comply with the new rules. The NCPP said the new booklet aimed to help companies to discontinue traditional management methods that kept employees in the dark, in favour of techniques based on communication and consultation.

The new publications will be launched by the NCPP in Dublin tomorrow.