Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, is supporting Labour MP Barry Gardiner’s Private Member’s Bill to outlaw fire and rehire.
Fire and rehire is a practise in which employers dismiss or threaten fire staff, in order to force them to sign up to new contracts with worse pay and conditions. Over the course of the pandemic there were a number of high profile disputes over fire and rehire tactics, with massive companies including Tesco, Sainsburys and British Gas all facing controversy for use of the tactics.
A report published by the Trades Union Congress in January 2021 estimated that 9% of workers had been told to re-apply for jobs on worse terms since March 2020, with higher rates among young and BME workers.
Barry Gardiner’s Bill has so far been supported by over 100 MPs from across party lines, along with 20 trade unions, the Institute of Employment Rights, and the TUC.
A Private Member’s Bill is a mechanism by which individual MPs can initiate their own legislation without Government support. To put forward a Private Member’s Bill an MP has to be successful in a randomly allocated ballot at the start of the parliamentary term.
Andrew Gwynne said:
“Fire and rehire is an absolutely disgraceful business practise that forces workers into accepting poor pay and employment conditions. It cannot be allowed to continue.
That’s why I’m so pleased to be supporting this Bill introduced by my colleague Barry Gardiner. We must introduce robust legislation so that workers are properly protected against this dreadful practise.
I hope to see more MPs from across the house supporting this legislation. All parliamentarians need to work together to support workers and put a stop to fire and rehire once and for all.”
To find out more about fire and rehire and the campaign to stop it, click here.