TUC: MPs must “do the right thing” and back Labour’s motion to end fire and rehire

The TUC has today (Sunday) called on all MPs to “do the right thing” and back Labour’s motion tomorrow to ban fire and rehire and demand the reinstatement of all sacked P&O staff.

Labour will tomorrow (Monday 21st March) force an emergency vote in Parliament after 800 P&O crew were sacked without notice on Thursday and threatened with handcuffs if they refused to leave their ships.

P&O Ferries’ actions appear to be unlawful. But the TUC says these events show that UK employment law urgently needs strengthening to penalise bad employers.

The ferry company used punitive fire and rehire style tactics and exploited many of the same weaknesses in the law, according to the union body.

TUC research published during the pandemic revealed that 1 in 11 (9%) of workers have been forced to re-apply for their jobs on inferior terms and conditions.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“No matter where their party loyalties lie, MPs should do the right thing and back Labour’s motion to end fire and rehire and demand the immediate reinstatement of all sacked staff.

“Ministers have spent the last few days condemning P&O’s actions – now they have a chance to prove they mean it.

“P&O ferries and its owner DP World have acted without shame. We can’t let them off the hook.

“No ifs, no buts. MPs must send a strong signal tomorrow by backing Labour’s motion. Rogue employers need to know they can’t get away with treating workers like disposable labour.”

On the wider need for an employment bill, O’Grady added:

“The P&O scandal has shown glaring weaknesses in our employment laws. We need to make sure this is never allowed to happen again.

“It’s time for the government to finally deliver its long-awaited employment bill to strengthen workplace protections and impose strong penalties on employers who break the law.”

The TUC is calling on P&O to reinstate all sacked staff immediately, with no loss of pay. If it fails to do so, the TUC says P&O should face severe consequences.

The union body says ministers must use an employment bill to:

• End fire and rehire style practices and stop companies firing at will: P&O has exploited many of the same weaknesses in the law as companies using the punitive fire and rehire tactics. TUC research published during the pandemic revealed that 1 in 11 (9%) of workers have been forced to re-apply for their jobs on inferior terms and conditions. The law should state that no notices of dismissal can be given until consultation has been completed. Employees should be given protection from unfair dismissal from day one in the job.
• Increase penalties on companies that break employment law: P&O’s failure to consult staff on their redundancies was unlawful. But companies who flout employment law in this way currently face very low fines and can get away with offering staff measly compensation.
• Ban other forms of exploitative practices:  More than 1 million workers in the UK are employed on zero-hours contracts and thousands of others are employed in bogus self- employment. The TUC says zero-hours contracts and umbrella companies should be banned.

In addition, the TUC is calling on the government to:

• Remove DP World (P&O ferries owner) from any government advisory groups: DP World currently sits on the influential UK Government’s Transport Advisory Group.
• Get around the table with unions representing members in the sector to urgently review government contracts with DP World and P&O and ensure livelihoods are protected