You clapped NHS workers – now they face scummy ‘fire and rehire’ plan to worsen work conditions
There could not be a more striking example of the truism that a battle may have been won but the war continues.
Late last month, This Site celebrated British Airways’s decision to end ‘fire and rehire’ tactics.
Today I saw this, from Zarah Sultana – one of Labour’s remaining worthwhile MPs. I include the follow-up tweet for its relevance:
This mgmt. tactic must be made illegal. It's a total misuse of power. What is the point of employment law that says t's & c's in contract can't be changed without agreement if arbitrarily terminating contract is legal? It's rubbish.#OurNHSpeople #SupportBritishGasStrike
— Christina Downes (@MCDownes5) February 9, 2021
They were referring to a decision by a National Health Service hospital in Birmingham to fire its porters – unless they sign new contracts that put them on worse pay and conditions.
Around 140 workers, who are members of the Unison union, have been told that they must accept new, rotating shift patterns or face redundancy.
Heartlands is part of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, which is headed up by former Labour home secretary Jacqui Smith.
The city’s eight Labour MPs have written to Smith condemning the firing and rehiring.
Rightly so. ‘Fire and rehire’ is one of the lowest employment practices permitted in the United Kingdom.
It is only permitted because the Conservative government allows it – and actively uses it in the NHS.
That’s the same Conservative government whose members hypocritically stood in the street and clapped NHS employees every Thursday for many weeks last year.
It seems Tory gratitude only lasts as long as a photo opportunity.
That’s how they can be beaten, of course. They hate bad publicity.
And this should be all over the headlines. Why isn’t it?
Is it because the Tory media are suppressing it?
Well, if you fancy a bit of homework, how about doing something to raise the profile of this issue, like asking your favourity newspaper, TV or radio channel where their coverage is?
Source: Heartlands hospital porters defy threat of the sack from bullying bosses
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The Tory way we respect the NHS lets claps for them while planning to sell more off to there cronies.
All these sick right-wing games are just always the same to save a few quid at the expense of the workers all this stupid will stop the second Tory scum are forced to use the same NHS as the rest of us!
With no do you know who I am games and well we had better give them and their friends faster service etc…
Lets see them sort out the NHS mess if they have to use it I bet it whould be very quickly done in this case..