TUC poll: 6 in 10 people support elected workers on large company boards

29 Nov 2016 10:09 AM

A new poll published today (Tuesday) by the TUC, and conducted by Opinium, finds that six in ten (59%) people support the election of worker representatives onto the boards of large companies.

Only 10% of those polled opposed the idea.

Speaking ahead of the publication today of the government’s green paper on corporate governance, the TUC says that the Prime Minister must keep her promise to put workers on company boards by meeting three key tests:

1. The representatives must be company workers, not anyone else given a remit to speak for workers.
2. The workers who sit on the board must be elected by the workforce, not appointed by anyone else.
3. Worker representation on the board must be a legal requirement for companies over a minimum size.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Workers on boards is a policy that’s tried, tested and proven in many other countries. And it will work for Britain too, helping us build a stronger and fairer economy.

“Today we’ve shown Theresa May that the public backs her flagship policy – and that should give her the confidence to take on the big business elites. Her other proposals on cracking down on corporate misbehaviour are welcome, but on their own they’re not enough.

“This is about giving workers a say in the decisions that affect them. It’s about making Britain’s businesses more successful by bringing in ideas and insight from the workforce. And it’s about building an economy which works for everyone, not just those at the top.”

Notes to Editors:

• Opinium Research polled 2,000 nationally representative UK adults aged 18+ between  25th-28th November 2016
• The TUC recently published a report All Aboard: making worker representation on company boards a reality, which sets out the case for worker representation on boards, how it works in practice in other European economies, and how it could be put into practice in the UK. More information and the full report is here: www.tuc.org.uk/economic-issues/corporate-governance/workplace-issues/all-aboard-making-worker-representation
• All TUC press releases can be found at tuc.org.uk/media
• TUC Press Office on Twitter: @tucnews

Contacts:

Press Office  T: 020 7467 1248  E: media@tuc.org.uk
Alex Rossiter  T: 020 7467 1285  M: 07887 572130  E: arossiter@tuc.org.uk
Tim Nichols  T: 020 7467 1388  M: 07808 761844  E: tnichols@tuc.org.uk
Elly Gibson (Mon to Thurs) T: 020 7467 1337  M: 07900 910624  E: egibson@tuc.org.uk
Michael Pidgeon  T: 020 7467 1372  M: 07717 531150  E: mpidgeon@tuc.org.uk