Nearly one in ten workers fired and rehired since March, research finds

Fire and rehire tactics, in which workers are told to accept worse pay and conditions or face the sack, have reached epidemic proportions since the coronavirus pandemic began.

This is according to a new poll from the TUC, which found that nearly one in ten (9%) of workers have experienced this form of workplace exploitation since March, with the worst hit groups being 18-24 year olds (18%), working class people (12%) and those from BME backgrounds (15%).

Almost a quarter (24%) of workers have seen the terms of their employment downgraded during the same time – such as through pay reductions or changes to their hours, rising to one in three among workers between the ages of 18 and 24 (34%) and those earning less than £15,000 (30%).

TUC General Secretary, Frances O’Grady, said: “Fire and re-hire tactics have no place in modern Britain and must be outlawed.

“Boris Johnson promised to make the UK the best place in the world to work in. It’s high time he delivered on this promise.”