Maria Miller, MP for Basingstoke, led a Westminster Hall debate on Tuesday 5th September on the misuse of non-disclosure agreements in the workplace.
Maria said, ‘When NDAs are used inappropriately – and that means to cover up discrimination, bullying, sexual harassment, or other kinds of workplace misconduct – the negative impact they have on their victims is huge.
It was extremely encouraging to have Members from all across the House attend and contribute to this debate. It made the point very clearly – Members, regardless of which political party they come from, are in support of banning this insidious practice from our workplaces.
We need the law to speak on this issue – if business had the will to act, it would have acted already and yet we remain in a position where victims are routinely silenced. In such cases, the individual is often harmed psychologically and those around them aren’t able to see a pattern of behaviour that is covered up. Individuals suffer, organisations suffer, and society at large suffers. It is time for the law to step in.’
This debate follows consistent work by Maria Miller to tackle the misuse of NDAs since 2019, when she chaired the Women and Equalities Committee inquiry into the issue.
A voluntary Universities Pledge, which Maria helped to launch alongside the Minister for Higher Education and brought in with the backing of the Department for Education, became law on 7th February this year when an amendment to the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill passed through Parliament – showing precedent to extend this law into all sectors.
The pledge protected students, staff and others from the use of NDAs in cases involving sexual harassment, discrimination, other forms of misconduct and/or bullying. Campaign group ‘Can’t Buy My Silence’ are now running a further Business Pledge to gain the support of businesses on a voluntary basis in a similar way.
