{"id":21306,"date":"2020-05-06T15:37:16","date_gmt":"2020-05-06T14:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=21306"},"modified":"2020-05-06T15:37:16","modified_gmt":"2020-05-06T14:37:16","slug":"why-furlough-when-you-can-sack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=21306","title":{"rendered":"Why furlough when you can sack?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Giant tale of \u00e2\u20ac\u0098bad faith\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Our first story takes us to Derby and Washington, where the Giant agency has been accused of \u00e2\u20ac\u0098bad faith\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 after appearing to renege on a promise to furlough about 300 workers working on Rolls-Royce contracts \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which means they have not been paid for a month.<\/p>\n

Unite reported today (May 6) that Giant had promised on April 17 that the workers would be furloughed under the government job retention scheme (JRS) \u00e2\u20ac\u201c meaning they would receive at least 80 per cent of their pay.<\/p>\n

But Unite said the members had not received a penny in the last month \u00e2\u20ac\u201c leaving them in dire financial straits, with confusion reigning, and the company sending out mixed messages over the progress \u00e2\u20ac\u201c or not \u00e2\u20ac\u201c of the JRS application.<\/p>\n

Unite estimates that about 270 workers were on the Derby contract and 27 at Washington.<\/p>\n

Unite officer with responsibility for Rolls-Royce in Derby, Tony Tinley, said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bBoth ethically and morally, Giant should be accessing all monies available to ensure employees receive pay.\u00c2\u00a0 We urge Giant to do the right thing \u00e2\u20ac\u201c otherwise, it is guilty of bad faith, as the agency promised in April that the workers would be furloughed, after work finished for them at the end of March.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Worst possible predicament\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bGiant agency workers have been left in the worst possible predicament \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they have not received any wages for well over a month which is causing financial hardship for their families and impacting on their mental health,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 commented Unite regional coordinator Suzanne Reid, on the situation for members on assignments at Rolls-Royce Washington.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had mixed messages from the company over whether the JRS application is being progressed or not. It appears that they could be reneging on what was agreed in mid-April,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 added Reid.<\/p>\n

Tinley and Reid\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s views were echoed by Washington and Sunderland West MP, Sharon Hodgson.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI am bitterly disappointed that Giant have failed to ensure their employees receive the financial support they are entitled to,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Hodgson said.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs our country faces the biggest challenge in peacetime, it is unforgiveable that companies are placing their workers in such financial difficulty.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAlongside Unite, I have been contacting Giant on behalf of several constituents of mine for weeks, asking them to do the right thing and providing them with clear guidance from the government. This delay and obfuscation cannot continue,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Hodgson added.<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sacking replaces furlough for Ryanair\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ground handler workers <\/strong><\/p>\n

And in our second disturbing report, Unite today accused Blue Handling at Stansted Airport \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a firm which provides services to\u00c2\u00a0Ryanair \u00e2\u20ac\u201c of cruelly sacking over a hundred workers instead of using the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s job retention scheme (JRS).<\/p>\n

In March the company wrote to 110 staff to terminate their contracts and a second letter was sent out confirming they would not be furloughed.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnite has been working with the company to find ways to minimise any potential costs,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 reported Unite regional officer Mark Barter.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe union has made\u00c2\u00a0a number of proposals\u00c2\u00a0but their employer ABM has decided not to do the right thing for their former employees.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Extreme distress\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bInstead of using the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s job retention scheme to furlough the workers, management callously sacked staff in the middle of a pandemic to minimise costs,\u00c2\u00a0causing their families extreme distress.\u00c2\u00a0This decision goes completely against the purpose of the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Job Retention Scheme.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe Stansted\u00c2\u00a0branch of Unite are\u00c2\u00a0demanding that Blue Handling rehire these workers and take advantage of the government’s scheme without delay. Our momentum at grass roots level to oppose ABM\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s decision is growing considerably,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 continued Barter.<\/p>\n

He concluded, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis demonstrates why the government needs to change the law so that employees can claim unfair dismissal from day one rather than having to suffer insecurity and exploitation for two years before having any employment protection.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

Blue Handling was set up by Ryanair and OmniServ in February 2019 to provide ground services to Ryanair at Stansted.\u00c2\u00a0OmniServ became ABM Aviation UK Limited on January 23, 2020. The company provides services including,\u00c2\u00a0check-in, baggage handling, and runway services.<\/p>\n

Sign the petition<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n