{"id":29192,"date":"2021-06-17T15:25:59","date_gmt":"2021-06-17T14:25:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=29192"},"modified":"2021-06-18T12:23:23","modified_gmt":"2021-06-18T11:23:23","slug":"back-barrys-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=29192","title":{"rendered":"Back Barry’s Bill!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Labour MPs, including Angela Rayner, Jeremy Corbyn, Andy McDonald, Zarah Sultana, Grahame Morris and dozens more, flocked to a campaign event outside Parliament on Wednesday (June 16) in a strong showing of support for Labour MP Barry Gardiner\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s private members bill which, if successful, will end \u00e2\u20ac\u0098fire and rehire\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 for good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dubbed \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Barry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Bill\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, it was presented for the first time in Parliament as a Private Members Bill on Wednesday, having come second in the ballot of backbenchers to have the chance to create new legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Fire and rehire\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c where employers force their existing, often long-serving workforce onto new contracts with vastly inferior pay and conditions \u00e2\u20ac\u201c has spread throughout the UK amid the pandemic like wildfire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Unite members fight the pernicious practice in their workplaces \u00e2\u20ac\u201c most recently at the Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) coffee factory in Banbury, Weetabix factories in Northamptonshire, and at Goodlord lettings firm in London \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Unite has also spearheaded a campaign to ensure the practice is consigned to the history books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And now that campaign is one step closer to success with Barry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Bill, which Unite has endorsed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barry Gardiner (pictured below) himself told UniteLive why this Bill was so important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe Bill would stop fire and rehire \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that simple,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wrong that workers are being told you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re out, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re fired, and you can only get your job back if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll except lower wages, lower terms and conditions, less holiday pension and a poorer pension. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not right and it should not be happening in Britain today.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He noted that the majority of businesses attempting to fire and rehire their workforces are large, profitable companies \u00e2\u20ac\u201c from British Airways to Sainsbury\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s to JDE and more \u00e2\u20ac\u201c who are doing it \u00e2\u20ac\u0098simply out of greed\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why we need legislation to stop it,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained, adding that while many Tory MPs themselves have said the practice was wrong, the government now needed to follow through and take action.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gardiner told UniteLive of the many families he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s spoken to across the country who have been impacted by fire and rehire, and how their stories have inspired him to take a stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhen a mum says to me, \u00e2\u20ac\u0098My family \u00e2\u20ac\u201c me, my husband, my dad and my son \u00e2\u20ac\u201c have together given over a 150 years of our lives in loyal service to the same company and now they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re treating us with absolute contempt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not the sort of Britain I want to live in,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI want to live in a country where we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re proud to have the best workforces in the best workplaces in the world. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what we need to create.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unite member and striking Goodlord worker Athena Parnell (pictured below) was among those workers who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve experienced fire and rehire who is now speaking out telling her story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Addressing the Labour MPs who attended Wednesday’s event, Athena explained how her wages plummeted from \u00c2\u014124,000 to \u00c2\u014118,000 a year after her employer fire and rehired her and her colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015b[My new wage] was below the London Living Wage \u00e2\u20ac\u201c below the wage that would have allowed me to pay for my rent and my basic necessities living in London,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bFire and rehire is sweeping through our nations right now,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Athena warned. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bCompanies who did quite well last year are jumping on the opportunity of exploitation. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve just been through a pandemic and millions of people are going back to jobs with worse pay and conditions than before. I was one of the people they tried to exploit; one of the casualties whose hard work and experience didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is why I support the fight to make fire and rehire illegal. We need to stand up against this behavior,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she continued. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIf you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in the same situation as me don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t give in. The only way we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to have a better life is if we fight together. Join a union \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they are tremendous help. You won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t only be supported by your colleagues but all of us union members will have your back.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unite senior shop steward at Airbus Broughton Kyle Robinson (pictured below, right) is precisely one of the many members in Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s union family who Athena spoke of. Although he himself has not been the victim of fire and rehire, he traveled to Wednesday’s Stop Fire and Rehire event in solidarity with those who are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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He told UniteLive, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bNo matter who we are, all Unite members should be concerned about fire and rehire because if this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t outlawed, then what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s to stop other profit-making companies from coming in and doing this to the rest of us? If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not a member of a union, make sure you join and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll get the full backing of Unite.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Labour MP and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (pictured below), who also attended Wednesday\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s event, likewise urged everyone to join a union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIf you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not in a union, and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re faced with fire and rehire, join a union,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he told UniteLive. “It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the most valuable, useful thing you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll ever do \u00e2\u20ac\u201c because it will guarantee not just your future but your children\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s future. Be strong; stand together \u00e2\u20ac\u201c you are not alone.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corbyn went on to highlight just how damaging fire and rehire is and why it must be banned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bPeople who have worked thirty or forty years in the same job, highly skilled people working in their communities, to be suddenly told you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not needed anymore, but we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll bring you back on worse pay and conditions \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s disgusting,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bExecutives aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t being fired and rehired \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re being rewarded.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Wednesday\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s event drew to a close, Gardiner urged people who have been affected by fire and rehire to join the wider campaign to ban the practice. He explained why their support and contribution was so vital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe need you and your families, friends and communities to get on to your MPs \u00e2\u20ac\u201c particularly if they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re Tory MPs \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and make the case against fire and rehire,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he told UniteLive in a message to Unite members. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bTell them what it means to you personally. Write about your experience. As an MP I know that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what matters to me. If I get a letter like that in my inbox, that really cuts through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe need Tory MPs to turn round to the government \u00e2\u20ac\u201c just like they did with free school meals \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0098This is wrong, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m getting so much flak over this from my constituents, I want you the government to do something.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 If we get Tory MPs on side, then we win. But we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re only going to win by working people coming together, writing those letters and putting the pressure on.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can find out more about Barry’s Bill here<\/a>. And you can find out more about Unite’s campaign to End Fire and Rehire, and how you can involved, here. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Hajera Blagg<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pics by Mark Thomas<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Labour MPs, including Angela Rayner, Jeremy Corbyn, Andy McDonald, Zarah Sultana, Grahame Morris and dozens more, flocked to a campaign event outside Parliament on Wednesday (June 16) in a strong showing of support for Labour MP Barry Gardiner\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s private members bill which, if successful, will end \u00e2\u20ac\u0098fire and rehire\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 for good. Dubbed \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Barry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Bill\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29199,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[1409,1665,1625,650],"wps_subtitle":"Unite joins Labour MPs in support of Labour MP Barry Gardiner\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bill to outlaw fire and rehire","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29192"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29192"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29224,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29192\/revisions\/29224"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}