Employment Rights And Radio Kfm

EDM number 216 in 1996-97, proposed by Andrew Mackinlay on 19/11/1996.

That this House calls attention to the Government's employment policy, which denies employees rights against unfair dismissal or the arbitrary and unreasonable alteration of their contracts of employment, allows companies like KFM, a commercial radio station based in Tonbridge, Kent arbitrarily to break employees' contracts, by demanding that they work six days a week instead of a five day period because of cutbacks in staff already made; notes KFM are now employing journalists for a six day working week at a salary of ú9,000 a year, while insisting the journalists are responsible for the first ú250 of any damage that may occur when they are driving a company car in the course of their work; and calls on the Radio Authority to investigate the affairs of KFM to ascertain whether it can fulfil the promised levels of programme quality, newsgathering and reporting upon which basis they were awarded their franchise and whether or not a management which treats their employees in such a cavalier fashion can be deemed fit to run a radio station.

This motion has been signed by a total of 23 MPs.