Ruthless trend for casual work leaves staff out on a limb
GETTING a proper job these days is like finding a gold pig under your pillow in the morning.
Employers don’t really want employees. They want what the Americans have the honesty to call “hands”.
There is a ruthless trend towards casual, insecure work, which has increased, is increasing and should be diminished.
As the collapsed Carillion scandal showed, business is restructuring itself to get cheaper, more flexible labour through a labyrinth of contractors, sub-contractors and agency staff.
The cheapskate role of “subbies” has long been known in the construction industry, but it’s spreading everywhere, including the public services. Hospital bosses in my part of the world are setting up subsidiary companies to employ their service workers.
Current employees get the same wages and conditions, but new staff – and we’re talking jobs with a high turnover rate – will be less well-paid and have worse conditions. Otherwise, why would they do it? The TUC calls these men and women “supply chain workers”, because they’re trapped in the labyrinth. Five million UK workers have no right to challenge the parent company of their employer over minimum wage and holiday pay abuse. 3.3 million employed through outsourced companies
615,000 employed by franchise businesses
1 million employed by recruitment agencies and so-called “umbrella companies”
All too often, they don’t even know who owns the firm that runs the company for whom they work. It’s a surreal world where everybody wins except the poor bloody worker.
Well over a year ago, the Government appointed retired academic Sir David Metcalf as the Labour Market Tsar to clean up the dirty tricks brigade.
He started his working life as an apprentice welder before becoming an academic.
So far, he’s made a few speeches and uttered a few threats to renegade bosses – but done nothing. He’s no Tsar Vladimir. He can only enforce existing law, not change it, so the NHS can get away with not paying holiday money to outsourced hospital cleaners.
Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC, has thrown down the gauntlet to horse racing fan Sir David, challenging him to seek “joint liability” for employers so that workers could bring a claim for unpaid wages and holiday against any contractor in the supply chain. It sounds complicated, but it already works in countries like Australia where Fair Work laws apply. With Sir David’s first report expected soon, Ms O’Grady says: “This issue affects millions of workers, from fast food to building sites. Employers have a duty of care to workers in their supply chains. “Joint liability must be extended to parent employers. Without it they can simply shrug their shoulders over minimum wage and holiday pay abuse. “Our labour enforcement laws urgently need beefing up. We look forward to raising this with Sir David Metcalf.” Amen to that, Frances, and good luck. This will test the Tory claim to be “the party of the worker”. Possibly, to destruction.
Cheapskate ‘subbies’ role has long been known in construction