Dr Adrian Williamson QC - Workers in the Boardroom
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Workers in the Boardroom: worker directors and lessons from history
\\n\\n10 December 2016 - 11:00 am - 13:00 pm
\\n\\nLecture Theatre S-1.04, King\'s College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS
\\n\\n"The people who run big businesses are supposed to be accountable to outsiders, to non-executive directors, who are supposed to ask the difficult questions, think about the long-term and defend the interests of shareholders. In practice, they are drawn from the same, narrow social and professional circles as the executive team and \\u2013 as we have seen time and time again \\u2013 the scrutiny they provide is just not good enough. So if I\\u2019m Prime Minister, we\\u2019re going to change that system \\u2013 and we\\u2019re going to have not just consumers represented on company boards, but employees as well."
\\n\\nThese were Theresa May\'s words as she launched her bid for leadership of the Conservative Party on 11 July 2016. At the time her speech was thought to mark a departure from traditional Tory themes - but what is the history of the idea of the worker on the board, what might May have really meant by her words and how can trade unions and political parties respond? History & Policy\\u2019s Trade Union Forum have convened an expert panel of historians and practitioners who will discuss these questions from both historical and contemporary perspectives.
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