Bosses want tighter strike rules

According to new research by legal practice DLA Piper, 69 per cent of the region's business leaders fear industrial relations issues are in danger of stifling the UK's economic recovery.

As a result, 77 per cent are in favour of changing the law to create a minimum threshold for industrial action ballots.

DLA Piper said that half of Yorkshire business leaders would support Government intervention to prevent strikes in the transport and communications industries.

The law firm, which has offices in Leeds and Sheffield, analysed the views of more than 500 UK senior figures from the private and public sector who are clients of DLA Piper.

Responses from the Yorkshire region suggest many fear the unrest could have a negative impact on their business.

But while the majority of Yorkshire companies said they were concerned about the potential for increased industrial action – and 75 per cent have consulted with staff on contentious issues such as redundancy in the last five years – less than 30 per cent have seen any industrial action within their own organisation in the last year.

Guy Lamb, head of employment law at DLA Piper in Leeds, said: "As the threat of a double dip recession remains, it is worrying that industrial unrest is on the rise and potentially could thwart economic recovery.

"In a volatile economy, employers face multiple risks and challenges making it imperative to focus resources and attention on employee relations to protect and nurture performance and profits. We welcome and support the high level of priority that employers have given to employee relations in the study."

DLA Piper said the study's findings provide strong encouragement for the Government from business leaders to tighten the laws around strike action.

"Careful consideration will be required as trade unions already consider existing laws as punitive and disproportionate," advised Mr Lamb. "A further tightening is bound to bring a greater challenge at a European level based on workers' human rights."