Beecroft report? It’s all about the ideology

Yes, that’s the same Adrian Beecroft who donated £500,000 to the Tory party and who premised his report, which was commissioned by David Cameron by the way, with the quote “the downside of the proposal is that some people would be dismissed simply because their employer doesn’t like them. While that is sad I believe it is a price worth paying...”

This package will probably include those who may still have some unfair dismissal rights having to pay a ‘fee’ beforehand to lodge a case with an employment tribunal – a kind of disincentive if you like to lodge an ET.

So, the scenario will be someone is sacked, have no money, and then have to find up to and over £1,000 just to lodge a claim. Is that justice?

In what other type of court in the world would this be fair to seek redress?

Of course, Mr Garnier in championing Mr Beecroft, despite a total lack of evidence to support their assertions that workers’ rights restrict economic growth, and little call from business either it seems, will carry on regardless because this is an ideologically-based argument, not a factually based one.

The fact is that the economy is in recession because of Government policies which are taking demand out of the economy, and restricting workers’ rights will not change that – it’s a smokescreen for failure.

The public sector is haemorrhaging jobs thanks to a bust austerity agenda and that is helping to create uncertainty which stops people spending in the wider economy, thus impacting the private sector too.

When people have no pay rise, day-to-day costs are high and they fear for their job, they won’t spend. Rising unemployment then adds to the national debt as tax revenues slump.

You would have thought as a banker, Mr Garnier would understand that. But then bankers failed to do some basic sums in the lead up to the crash so we should not be surprised.

JIM PRICE UNISON Worcestershire county branch secretary