An FSB survey has found that almost two thirds of small businesses were unaware the consultation was taking place on Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald’s controversial Good Jobs Bill.
More than 20 business organisations wrote to the Minister in April urging her and Executive colleagues not to rush through sweeping and complex employment rights legislation in the limited time remaining in the current Assembly mandate, amid mounting pressures facing businesses across Northern Ireland.
Now, new findings from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) reveal a major failure in business engagement around the Employment Rights Bill consultation in Northern Ireland.
The findings were published on the same day the Economy Minister held her first dedicated one-to-one meeting with business organisations specifically focused on the proposed Employment Rights Bill.
Alan Lowry, FSB`s NI Chair, said:
“The findings in the FSB survey are deeply concerning and expose serious shortcomings in how consultation on the as-yet unpublished Employment Rights Bill has been handled.
“Almost two thirds of businesses were unaware the consultation was even taking place. While some only became aware of it after it had closed, a full third of businesses had absolutely no knowledge of it at all.
“That raises fundamental questions about how meaningful this consultation process really was and whether the voices of small businesses are genuinely being heard.
“We have repeatedly warned the Department for the Economy that any Employment Rights Bill must be subject to proper scrutiny and full consideration of the impact it could have on small firms, which are the backbone of Northern Ireland’s economy.
“At a time when businesses are already grappling with rising costs, economic uncertainty and growing operational pressures, the last thing employers need is major legislative change being pushed through without adequate engagement and scrutiny.
“Given that almost two thirds of businesses were unaware of the consultation, the Department for the Economy must now urgently step up its engagement with the business community and show that it is listening and adapting to what it hears from Northern Ireland’s largest group of employers.
“We need a genuine partnership approach that ensures any future employment legislation supports growth, investment and job creation, not measures that risk undermining entrepreneurs’ ability to run their businesses, employ people and invest in the future.”