TUC slams Carnival UK’s threat to fire and rehire 900 staff

Commenting on the news that Carnival UK are threatening to fire and rehire 900 UK staff at P&O Cruises and Cunard, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:  

“After last year’s P&O Ferries scandal – when 800 staff were brutally sacked without notice – the Conservatives promised to clamp down on rogue bosses. 

“But ministers have not lifted a finger since to strengthen employment law and stop workers from being treated like disposable labour. 

“This appalling episode should never have been allowed to happen. It shows that you can’t trust the Tories with workers’ rights. 

“And it shows why we urgently need Labour’s New Deal for Working people to stop shameful practices like fire and rehire. 

“Carnival UK are showing brazen contempt for their workforce. They must step back from the brink and engage with Nautilus union.” 

The Conservatives promised 20 times to bring forward an employment bill to strengthen workers’ rights but reneged upon this pledge. 

Labour’s New Deal would:  

• Ban fire and rehire and zero-hours contracts to help end the scourge of insecure work.  

• Give all workers day one rights on the job. Labour will scrap qualifying time for basic rights, such as unfair dismissal, sick pay, and parental leave.   

• Ensure all workers get reasonable notice of any change in shifts or working time, with compensation that is proportionate to the notice given for any shifts cancelled or curtailed.  

• Strengthen flexible working rights by introducing a day one right to work flexibly. 

• Strengthen collective bargaining by introducing fair pay agreements to boost pay and conditions – starting in social care.   

• Beef up enforcement by making sure the labour market enforcement bodies have the powers they need to undertake targeted and proactive enforcement work.  

• Introduce disability and ethnicity pay gap reporting.