Thompson on sick leave?
UPDATE 4.45pm: Rumours swirl the EMA boss has been hospitalised.
UPDATE 4.45pm: The Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern) board is understood to have stalled its decision on the future of chief executive Alasdair Thompson because of concern for his health.
A crisis meeting of the EMA today failed to provide direction on whether Mr Thompson would continue to lead the country’s biggest employer group.
But Without a Word of a Lie was told the cautious approach was due to Mr Thompson’s ill health, with an insider claiming he might be in hospital.
There were no verifiable details on Mr Thompson’s health.
He was not at the EMA’s Newmarket office when Without a Word of a Lie visited this afternoon and no-one answered the door at his Newmarket apartment.
Mr Thompson did not attend this afternoon's meeting.
UPDATE 3.15pm: The board of the Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern) has ended its meeting considering the future of its boss Alasdair Thompson without coming to a decision on whether he will stay or go.
EMA board chairman Graham Mountfort said in a statement today's meeting was part of an ongoing process.
"We are following a sound and thorough process as a responsible employer must. A further statement will be made in due course," he said.
The board, in a swipe at Mr Thompson's controversial remarks, reconfirmed its long-standing policy on gender equality.
"We totally agree with equal pay for equal work. The board refutes [sic] unanimously any suggestion that gender plays any part in workplace productivity."
UPDATE: 1:45pm: EMA boss Alasdair Thompson is likely on the way out, with an announcement expected within hours.
A well-placed business source told Without a Word of a Lie the chief executive was “dog tucker.”
The board of the Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern) is two-hours into a crisis meeting where business insiders have speculated the only item is the cost of Mr Thompson’s exit.
Mr Thompson, who has been the association’s chief executive for 12 years, was not at the meeting.
An announcement on his future was expected soon.
10am: The Employers and Manufacturers' Association (EMA) today refused to confirm reports that chief executive Alasdair Thompson will resign today.
The association met this morning to discuss a way through the "crisis" resulting from Mr Thompson's controversial comments last week that women were paid less because they took sick days when they had their period.
EMA communications manager Gilbert Peterson said he could not confirm the reports that Mr Thompson was going to resign but said the association met this morning to discuss how the EMA was going to continue to function.
"It [the meeting] was about...how EMA is going to run and what we are going do to make it work in this interim period of what for us is a bit of a crisis...it's more than a bit of a crisis, it's a crisis."
The board cancelled a meeting on Mr Thompson's future yesterday and said a decision would be made within a a week.
But last night board member Laurie Margrain said he expected an answer within 24 hours.
Two apologies from Mr Thompson have failed to quell the furore over his remarks, particularly as he was unable to back up his claims with facts.
Georgina Bond
Tue, 28 Jun 2011
Tue, 28 Jun 2011
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Thompson on sick leave?
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