Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Business

Union set to challenge Tesco fire and rehire policy at supreme court

by December 23, 2022
December 23, 2022
Union set to challenge Tesco fire and rehire policy at supreme court

The shopworkers union Usdaw has been given the green light by the supreme court to challenge Tesco’s controversial tactic of firing staff then rehiring them on less favourable contracts.

The union was granted permission to proceed with a case after the appeal court overturned a high court ruling that banned Tesco from dismissing staff at its warehouses in Daventry and Litchfield and then seeking to re-employ them on lower pay.

The Tesco case hinges on a promise of “retained pay” which the workers say was part of a permanent agreement dating to a deal in 2007 but which the supermarket argued was only in place for the life of the contracts that workers signed.

Tesco said: “A very small number of colleagues in our UK distribution network receive a supplement to their pay, which was offered a number of years ago as an incentive to retain colleagues.

“The vast majority of our distribution colleagues today do not receive this top-up, and so we took the decision to phase it out. We will continue to work constructively with the small number of colleagues affected to agree a way forward.”

Union leaders say that employers are increasingly threatening to terminate workers’ contracts – leaving those workers with the choice of leaving their job or signing up to a worse deal – rather than attempt to reach an agreement with the employees or their union.

Neil Todd, a trade union specialist at Thompsons solicitors, which is representing the workers, said: “We are delighted to have been given permission by the supreme court to proceed with this important case. The fight against fire and rehire is a pivotal one for the whole trade union movement.”

A ruling by the supreme court would be the final say on the matter with no further option for appeal.

The legal battle comes after UK government ministers last year scuppered a Commons bill that would have stopped fire and rehire saying that, while they opposed such actions, legislation was the wrong way to respond. The decision prompted anger from opposition parties and unions, with the TUC saying the government had “chosen to side with bad bosses”.

The tactic has come under scrutiny in recent years as big companies have used it to alter pay and conditions.

British Gas dismissed hundreds of engineers last year after they refused to accept a pay cut and longer, more antisocial, hours. Others accepted jobs on the new terms.

Hundreds of bus drivers at Go North West, pilots at British Airways, and caterers and cleaners working on Ministry of Defence sites for ESS, part of the multinational Compass Group, had also fought against the tactic.

The government has argued that companies in serious financial difficulty must have the option of offering staff new jobs if the alternative is closure. However, an analysis by the Observer found that nearly 70% of firms engaging in the practice were making a profit.

Read more:
Union set to challenge Tesco fire and rehire policy at supreme court

0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
Flexible office occupancy rates recover to pre-pandemic levels
next post
Royal Mail urges people to use or swap non-barcoded stamps

You may also like

Why Choose an Eastern European BPO Boutique Company?

December 4, 2024

Deciphering the Polygraph: A Powerful Tool for Truth...

June 16, 2023

John Barnes banned from company directorships over unpaid...

April 25, 2024

Better office performance? Give staff a bit more...

October 24, 2022

The Best PayPal Casinos in the UK

October 2, 2024

Festive season fuels 2.5 million visits to the...

December 23, 2022

British retailer warns Reeves’s budget will deliver a...

December 9, 2024

Thomas Peter Maletta Discusses The Trial And Error...

March 14, 2024

HMRC says small business are now responsible for...

June 23, 2023

Business leaders join PM’s new Business Council to...

July 18, 2023

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Top university degrees lose sway as tech employers prioritise job-ready skills

      June 29, 2025
    • Government urges supermarkets to make healthy food more appealing in bid to tackle obesity crisis

      June 29, 2025
    • Senate Republicans ram Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ through key test vote

      June 29, 2025
    • Chief Justice Roberts sounds alarm on dangerous rhetoric aimed at judges from politicians

      June 29, 2025
    • Britain’s fastest-growing firms revealed for 2025: Dfyne, Nala’s Baby and Hawkstone lead the charge

      June 29, 2025
    • Schumer to force Senate reading of Trump’s entire ‘big, beautiful bill’

      June 28, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,332)
    • Investing (2,081)
    • Politics (15,853)
    • Stocks (3,177)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved