Tesco and Sainsbury’s are both at it. From your morning Weetabix and coffee to your holiday snack at the airport, fire and rehire is everywhere. Many household names have made billions during lockdown, but greedy bosses want even more and it’s the workers who have to pay. British Gas, Clarks Shoes and Heathrow Airport are just some of businesses forcing families into poverty with no regard for loyalty or years of service.
Over the years cost cutting employers have copied money-grabbing bosses in other industries. Many unions across Britain are asking will their members be next. Even teachers are being fired and rehired in schools, no one seems safe.
Labour MP Barry Gardiner has introduced a Private Member’s Bill to outlaw this practice. It’s wrong that workers who have given their lives to companies now can’t pay their rent, go on holiday or sleep because of worry. This is the human cost of telling a worker, your pay is cut by 25%, you’ll work longer hours and your pension is under threat. Fire and rehire is everywhere.
Workers are being bullied, sacked and told they will only be re-employed to do the same basic job if they accept less money and poorer conditions. It’s an issue that affects every constituency, every industry – a social evil that is afflicting hundreds of thousands of families. As if the pandemic was not bad enough, companies are now threatening people with the sack so they can pay them less or take their pensions.
At food giant Jacob Douwe Egberts in Banbury, coffee consumption was up 40 per cent during the lockdown and JDE made record profits, but that didn’t stop them threatening their workforce with the sack unless they accepted a cut in wages of up to £12,000.
No family should have to put up with that. How do you pay your rent or your mortgage with a cut like that? How can you support your family? Every pound cut is a pound less to pay your rent, to pay your mortgage and the fear of eviction or repossession is very real.
It’s just
plain wrong and the Government SAYS it agree
s. Leading Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg
told MP’s fire and rehire was “bad practise” and no respectable employer would
do it. Even the Prime Minister says it’s unacceptable. But it remains to be
seen whether Boris will support our campaign to outlaw this evil practise.
Tory Business Minister, Paul Scully, promises he will “issue guidelines” but many unions believe those guidelines won’t protect anyone.
Right wingers may say bosses should be left to do as they please in a free market, but the proposed Bill will not stop struggling firms restructuring or changing outdated practises. Instead, it will stop bad bosses sacking workers to avoid redundancy rules and other workers’ rights.
So come on let’s support the Bill and visit the campaign website at www.StopFireAndRehire.org follow it on Instagram and Facebook and tell your friends about fire and rehire.
