Clause 1 - Paternity leave
Employment Bill
4:45 pm
Mr Alan Johnson (Minister of State (Employment and the Regions), Department of Trade and Industry; Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, Labour)
Happy new year to you, Mr. Benton, and to all on the Committee.
Following the remarks of the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge about the general spirit and thrust of this section, I was pleased to hear his comments, which repeated those that he made on Second Reading, about appreciating its good for the wider community and its effect on business. I shall not talk about events in Germany because it is impossible to discuss that country without taking into account reunification, which was a specific, valuable and necessary part of recent German history.
Basic minimum standards such as the minimum wage have existed in many countries, some of which are outside Europe, for many years. Our historic situation was due not only to employers but trade unions. As I keep reminding some of my hon. Friends, in the 1970s the trade unions opposed the minimum wage and any interference with free collective bargaining; there was a different approach on both sides of industry.
We began to introduce basic, civilised minimum standards into the workplace in the late 20th century, and that means that we can learn from the experiences of other countries. We were meticulous about seeking other views before we legislated. People may criticise the Government on some aspects of the minimum standards that we have introduced—notably, the working time directive was not the best way to introduce new legislation—but on parental and adoptive leave and changes to maternity leave, no one has suggested that we have not taken the time and trouble exhaustively to consult on the changes that we intend.