Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will

Dave Prentis is the General Secretary of UNISON, Britain’s biggest public sector trade union with more than 1.3 million members

George-Osborne-corpse And the attacks on hardworking people under the Tories continue. George Osborne’s announcement yesterday of a review of employment law forms part of the biggest assault on workers’ rights in a generation. They want a future where bosses can hire and fire at will, and where it’s much harder for workers to challenge unfair treatment. For flexible – read exploitative.

The Tories have not wasted any time in heavily skewing the jobs market in favour of bosses. Earlier this year, they made plans to tear the Employment Appeals Tribunal System to shreds, arguing that businesses are subject to too many claims. This is a myth.

Employees do not take cases lightly, It’s a time consuming and hugely stressful process. And as many of the cases taken to tribunal are joint equal pay cases, this is a hit on women. Surely an easier way for companies to avoid their day in court would be to treat their staff according to the rules?

Shredding the two-tier agreement means that new starters in private companies providing public services will not get the same pay and terms. This deregulation fires the starting gun for a race to the bottom – private companies eager for profit will be able to make it on the back of their staff costs.

And following yesterday’s announcement, workers claiming discrimination compensation on grounds of race or gender stand to have their compensation capped. Plans to slash the redundancy consultation period will mean bosses can rip up employment contracts and fire large numbers of staff in as little as one month. Short-circuiting this process will not allow enough time for unions and management to discuss alternative plans to job losses and avoid compulsory redundancies.

TUPE rights are also coming under the hammer. These regulations give workers protection on terms and conditions if their job is transferred to another company. Given the Tories’ pledge to sell off large swathes of public services, this will put hundreds of thousands of workers at the mercy of profit-driven companies – and, here we go again, with the race to the bottom.

True to form, the Tories have not even tried to disguise this review as fair. It is unashamedly pro-business, and it will make the working lives of many people harder. As representatives of 1.4 million people who stand to be affected, and on behalf or hardworking people everywhere, UNISON will be stepping up its campaign to ensure fairness and justice at work.

http://twitter.com/shlomopines/status/68738967314497536 Shlomo Pines

RT @leftfootfwd: Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will: http://bit.ly/jAS1UE writes @UNISONtweets' Dave Prentis
http://twitter.com/marxianblog/status/68765436593967104 Marxian

RT @leftfootfwd: Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will: http://bit.ly/jAS1UE writes @UNISONtweets' Dave Prentis
http://twitter.com/marxianblog/status/68765436593967104 Marxian

RT @leftfootfwd: Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will: http://bit.ly/jAS1UE writes @UNISONtweets' Dave Prentis
http://twitter.com/pareayh/status/68766445403774976 paurina

RT @leftfootfwd: Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will: http://bit.ly/jAS1UE writes @UNISONtweets' Dave Prentis
mr. Sensible

Couldn’t agree more Dave.

2 things immediately spring to mind.

First, how does making it easier for bosses to make people redundant fit with job creation, something I thought the Coalition wanted to see?

Second, and more fundomentally, if all this is about cutting red tape for businesses, have you seen any sign of plans to scrap the Coalition’s shambolic immigration policy, which businesses say is red tape?
Mary Locke

This is unfair. All workers will be hit by this. Employment Laws are there for our protection and safety. Why cant Osborne look at the tax dodgers. I thought we were in 21st century not back to the 19th century.
http://twitter.com/sky_pendle/status/68819657246785536 Sky Pendle

RT @leftfootfwd: Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will: http://bit.ly/jAS1UE writes @UNISONtweets' Dave Prentis
http://twitter.com/miriamsaid/status/68840966886408192 Miriam Said

RT @leftfootfwd: Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will: http://bit.ly/jAS1UE writes @UNISONtweets' Dave Prentis
http://twitter.com/unisonmv/status/68969713870438400 UNISON MillionVoices

RT @unisontweets: RT @leftfootfwd Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will: http://bit.ly/jAS1UE writes @unisontwee …
http://twitter.com/jamesanthonyrn/status/68970377153495040 James Anthony

RT @unisontweets: RT @leftfootfwd Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will: http://bit.ly/jAS1UE writes @unisontwee …
http://twitter.com/psbook/status/68970883540205568 Political Scrapbook

George Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will http://bit.ly/kL2h6o (from @leftfootfwd)
http://twitter.com/visionontv/status/68971008710803456 visionOntv

RT @psbook: George Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will http://bit.ly/kL2h6o (from @leftfootfwd)
http://twitter.com/justanotherdawn/status/68971224436457474 Dawn

RT @psbook: George Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will http://bit.ly/kL2h6o (from @leftfootfwd)
http://twitter.com/ljrm1/status/68971538191360000 Lee

RT @psbook: George Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will http://bit.ly/kL2h6o (from @leftfootfwd)
http://twitter.com/ladyloki/status/68971665459130368 Niki R

RT @psbook: George Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will http://bit.ly/kL2h6o (from @leftfootfwd)
http://twitter.com/markcn/status/68973566871355392 Mark Charan Newton

RT @psbook: George Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will http://bit.ly/kL2h6o (from @leftfootfwd)
http://twitter.com/bradderskn/status/68974445808726016 Ethan Bradley

RT @psbook: George Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will http://bit.ly/kL2h6o (from @leftfootfwd)
http://twitter.com/countrystandard/status/68975082495680512 Captain Swing

Tories want a future where bosses can hire and fire at will: http://bit.ly/jAS1UE No Right For Workers But Every Right to Big Business
http://twitter.com/peterayuk/status/68976083206283264 Peter Raymond

RT @psbook: George Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will http://bit.ly/kL2h6o (from @leftfootfwd)
http://twitter.com/redrichie/status/68982443029446656 Richard Palmer

@29xthefun Heh, nice. This may interest: http://bit.ly/kL2h6o
http://twitter.com/unisonwomeneast/status/68982861843267584 Linda Durrant

RT @unisontweets: RT @leftfootfwd Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will: http://bit.ly/jAS1UE writes @unisontwee …
http://twitter.com/lesa50/status/68983950198054912 lesa

RT @psbook: George Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will http://bit.ly/kL2h6o (from @leftfootfwd)
http://twitter.com/firdaus21/status/68985079401156609 Mark Wright

warms the cockles my heart as lick boots RT @leftfootfwd: Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will http://bit.ly/jTs3VU
http://www.tmmblog.co.uk Cahal

Making it easier to hire and fire does reduce unemployment, but it should be combined with a strong social safety net and activation programs like in Denmark. What the Coalition are doing is simply reducing the bargaining power of labour to depress wages and therefore inflation – god forbid it erodes some of the wealth at the top!
http://twitter.com/fusionet24/status/68996075880591360 Scott James Bell

RT @psbook: George Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will http://bit.ly/kL2h6o (from @leftfootfwd)
http://twitter.com/evrythinevolves/status/69001241417625600 EvolveCreativeMedia

Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will | Left Foot Forward http://fb.me/Fq2WL2R4
http://none G DARCY

Get on with it we deserve everything thrown at us for putting up with it, all people want to do in this country is watch millionaires kicking a ball around for one company playing against another company and earning £120.000 and they love screaming at celebrities when this nonsense stops and the start thinking for themselves will progress be made. This just shows the class hatred these tories have for working people
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/05/british-airways-unite-strike-dispute-resolution/ BA/Unite resolution shows civilised negotiation has worked | Left Foot Forward

[...] this week George Osborne vowed to sweep away basic protections on TUPE, tribunals and the 90-day consultation. The fact that he made this pledge [...]
http://twitter.com/just_clive/status/69078939800317952 Just_Clive

RT @leftfootfwd: Osborne wants a future where bosses can hire and fire at will http://bit.ly/jTs3VU
http://Facebook Mr L East

Osbourne is declaring war on the working people of the UK, an old Tory scam to deflect attention away from their inability to solve the real problems facing the UK.
It is the poor performance of our politicians over the last thirty years that needs examination, troubles in the Med region could spill over into the UK if an aggressive stance is taken.