A government move that will make it easier to for firms to
fire their staff will do nothing for the economy but will leave workers much
more insecure, the TUC has said. The warning
came after ministers announced the 90-day consultation period before
large-scale redundancies can take place is to be cut to 45 days from April
2013. Employment relations minister Jo Swinson said: 'Our reforms will strike
an appropriate balance between making sure employees are engaged in decisions
about their future and allowing employers greater certainty and flexibility to
take necessary steps to restructure.' But TUC
general secretary Brendan Barber responded: 'The last thing we need is for the
government to make it easier to sack people. Unemployment has not gone as high
as many feared because employers have worked with unions to save jobs, even if
it has meant sharing round fewer hours and less work. The need to consult
unions has made an important contribution to that, and also given staff, many
of whom will have had years of loyal service, time to think through their
options.' He added: 'These measures will not create a single extra job. The
idea that an employer will change their mind about taking someone on because
the statutory redundancy consultation period has been reduced from 90 to 45
days is close to absurd. Removing consultation rights from fixed-term contract
staff will seriously increase job and financial insecurity for vulnerable
groups of workers, and temporary staff will lose out on redeployment
opportunities.' Recent reports have linked job insecurity to higher injury and
sickness rates and poorer health overall, including a greater chance of
suffering heart disease and strokes.
This information was supplied by the TUC.
