MOST employees in the North are unaware of new legal rights they will have from Wednesday to be consulted on major employment issues like impending redundancies.

A new survey reveals that 72 per cent of the region's employees know nothing of the Information & Consultation legislation, in which employers could face fines of up to £75,000 if they fail to involve staff in significant workplace changes.

Research commissioned by business adviser Croner shows that employees in the North could be more likely to learn of company redundancies through hearsay or the media than from their employer

Of the 235 respondents in the North who took part in Croner's nationwide YouGov poll, 72 per cent knew nothing of their new rights to be consulted.

Significantly, 77 per cent said they wanted the opportunity to express an opinion about major issues surrounding their employment and the company in which they work.

Andrew Auld, human resources development manager at Croner, believes employers are not doing enough to make staff aware of their new legal right to be involved in significant workplace changes.

He said: "Even some of the largest corporates have been criticised for failing to communicate properly with employees on issues as serious as redundancy.

"But the new Information & Consultation law means they now have a legal right to demand to be involved collectively in such decisions.

"With our survey revealing the vast majority of employees in the region want the opportunity to air their views, employers are best advised to set up proactive channels of communication whereby staff have an opportunity to collectively express opinions on major company developments, and through which employers can communicate with them.

"Allowing TV or radio to take the place of good HR practice could see the employer facing grave fines, or having their name dragged through the media mud - with potential negative impact on their share price and reputation."

After Wednesday, companies with 150 or more employees must act upon an employee request to be informed and consulted on major employment issues.

The request must be made by at least ten percent of employees in the organisation (subject to a minimum of 15 employees and a maximum of 2,500 employees).

Updated: 11:06 Monday, April 04, 2005