Dyson demands Brexit should end workers’ rights – as Labour prepares to enshrine them in UK law
James Dyson: He wants to exploit British workers and keep all the profits for himself.
Does anybody remember when Dyson was a success story to make the UK proud?
Now the founder of the vacuum cleaner company, James Dyson, is pushing for the minority Tory government to end workers’ rights – making it easier to fire employees – and to abolish Corporation Tax so he can make more money out of them.
He told Andrew Marr: “Not being able to flex your workforce is another reason why you wouldn’t start or expand a manufacturing business.” He means he wants to be able to get rid of good workers without good reason – and there is no argument for it. UK manufacturing used to be the strongest in the world, based on a stable base of workers at each firm.
On Corporation Tax, he said: “A tax on profits is the wrong way to tax people. Corporation tax is a very odd thing because there’s ways to get around paying it. You shouldn’t really be taxing people’s profits, you should allow profits to be reinvested. And also, if you remove corporation tax you encourage a lot of other industry to come to Britain.”
Yes, industry would come, because they could keep all the profits they made by ripping off the now-rightsless workers of this country, if Mr Dyson gets his way.
He’s right that taxing profits isn’t clever – we should tax businesses on their overall income. It might cut tax avoidance considerably and be a much better way to fill Treasury coffers.
The claim that the profits should be allowed to be reinvested is risible. Business owners and shareholders would have that money “reinvested” in their own bank accounts.
So Labour is right to oppose at least one of Mr Dyson’s demands by forcing a Commons vote to protect workers’ rights.
According to the Daily Mirror:
Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer fears the Tories plan to water down paid holidays and EU rules on equal wages.
The Prime Minister wants to use so-called Henry VIII powers to allow ministers to amend legislation without the approval of Parliament.
Mrs May is on record as objecting to the EU social chapter which guarantees maternity pay and stops anyone being forced to work more than 48 hours a week.
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has said it should be easier for bosses to fire staff, and in 2012 Commons leader Andrea Leadsom said workplace rights should be scrapped for small companies.
In 2014 Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said: “The weight of EU employment regulation is back-breaking.”
Mr Starmer will demand that assurances are added to the Bill so that the same security workers enjoy now will continue after Brexit.
If Labour achieves this, it will be a great reassurance to working people across the UK. If the Tories block it, we will all have another reason to backtrack on the Brexit decision.
ADDITIONAL: Almost immediately after this article went up, John Brindle on Facebook made this very perceptive comment:
“His [Dyson’s] dream that is that wages become so low in the UK that he can ship his production back to this country without his profits being dented. He wants to pay people a pittance so that they depend for their survival on a state to which he does not contribute in tax. Pure greed.”
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Ideally Dyson would like to own slaves rather then employ people on living wages. Wouldn’t touch his products with a bargepole.
his products aren’t even that good on a technical level and all made in the far east
When he moved his manufacturing to Malaysia so he could take advantage of cheap labour and fewer employment rights, he lost any right to comment on British/European labour laws and Corporation tax.
Dyson say’s “you should allow profits to be reinvested” it seems his business knowledge is as bad as his overpriced products. R&D has always been allowed for as a direct tax deductible perk.
I have a Dyson upright; it easily falls over when the tools are being used. I much prefer my Miele vacuum cleaner for quality and performance. On principle I would never buy another Dyson machine again no matter how they performed.
I bought a dyson cylinder vac years ago, onky had it 2 months and it burnt out, i tried to get my money back, but no it was my fault for not changing the filters, what? only had it 2 months. So i will never touch a dyson ever, overrated over priced rubbish. Would not mind it was not as good as my old cheap vac
This is exactly what is wrong with the “Wealth Creators” of this country. They never explain that the “Created Wealth” is always at another’s expense. Dysons “Invention” was always a copy of plant such as dust seperators in Power station flues. The dyson was notorious for it’s requirement to clog up it’s own system and to have problems with its extending hose, among other problems. This really reflects back on this nasty piece of work. Also remember, we caused the shipment of African’s from their homeland, where we stole them from via England to the US where we put them to work. If this pillock wants to reduce costs, then he should ship himself to China and open his business there. After all, many of his compatriots now buy their products from China, labelled as their own, and make huge profits selling them under their own, long established British trade names. They then no longer need us, yet we buy their products. That is where we can actually defeat them at their own game!
I’ve never, ever owned a Dyson product as I’ve never, ever been impressed when testing any of them. As far as I’m concerned the ‘carpet sweepers’ are simply not user friendly and those ‘air hand driers’ are a disaster, usually blowing cold air on cold, wet hands. It was certainly one hell of a sales drive that got this lot going.
How is it that corporations are taxed at a lesser rate than the self-employèd? We too, are taxed on our “profits” but get not the same perks.
We had workers rights prior to 1972, most of the current so called eu workers rights were part and parcel of british workers rights before the eu caught up. Indeed some have been watered down under eu legislation.
Why do I keep having to tell you that doesn’t mean a thing?
The current Tories want to END those rights.