Fire and Rehire. The employers have the whip hand.

 ‘Fire and rehire’ tactics rife at firms that are in profit and claiming Covid cash | Employment law | The Guardian

Hundreds of British Gas workers have been sacked in the latest "Fire and Rehire "dispute, where employees are forced to accept new contracts with longer hours and reduced pay. The alternative to signing the new contracts of employment is to be dismissed by the employer who is then able to recruit a new workforce on the poorer conditions. This is an deplorable tactic which of course is condoned by the government who at the same time mutter weasel words of criticism of the company's action but do nothing to remove this abusive practice by employers using this stratagem.

British Gas however compound this assault on working people by issuing a patronising statement to justify their action as if seeking some sympathy for sackings.   

British Gas:

“While change is difficult, reversing our decline which has seen us lose over three million customers, cut over 15,000 jobs and seen profits halved over the last 10 years is necessary.”

The last part of this British Gas Statement says it all. As with most disputes, this one is all about the company, in this case Centrica, seeking to maintain or preferably increase profits, and it is always at the expense of its workers. Throughout the history of working practices, and particularly since the Industrial Revolution. the struggle between the workers and the employers has predominately revolved around pay and conditions. With the Repeal of the Combination Act, it became possible for workers to organise and become members of an appropriate Union. Since then, many unscrupulous employers aided and abetted by successive conservative governments, have sought new ways to ensure that the employee remains in a subservient position and should be  "grateful" to have a job. 

This current dispute is only one of the disputes involving companies who have profited from government support during the Covid crisis. Recent reports suggest that 9 of the 13 private employers threatening to dismiss and re-engage staff on worse contracts have managed to maintain healthy profit margins, with some even increasing executive pay. British Gas reported profits of £80 million in its last update and Centrica, the parent company of British Gas received £27million under the governments "Job Retention Scheme".

This atrocious policy must be attacked and opposed by the Trade Union movement as a whole and the Labour party in particular exposing this as yet another example of iniquitous behaviour by employers. With particular reference to the Labour Party, they must loudly declare that this Fire and Rehire practice will be banned under legislation to stop the abuse, by any future Labour government.