by our parliamentary reporter @TrinderMatt

DELEGATES at Labour’s annual conference have overwhelmingly supported Unite’s demand for an end to fire-and-rehire attacks on workers.

Today Brent North MP Barry Gardiner told the Morning Star: “This is the Labour Party focused where it should be: on the needs of working people.

“I am delighted that our party has united around the campaign to stop fire and rehire.

“Labour was born out of the trade union movement and the struggle for workers’ rights. We must never forget that, and work together for the dignity of work and for workers’ dignity.”

Monday’s motion, passed by a show of hands as the Morning Star went to press, warned that tactics that effectively blackmail workers into taking on more hours while seeing their pay and pensions cut should have no place in society.

“People are entitled to secure work and earnings. The power imbalance between workers and employers must change,” it said.

Moving the motion, Unite’s Philippa Marsden said: “Fire and rehire is an act of blackmail by employers — but we can beat back these attacks.

“At British Airways, our members stopped the worst of the cuts. At Go North West, bus drivers stood firm and the company backed down.

“At Weetabix our members are in the middle of industrial action against a fire-and-rehire wage grab. We will do all it takes to stop this there too, but it should not be legal to do this to workers.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has criticised the practice as unacceptable, but has failed to legislate against it. 

Unite’s new general secretary, Sharon Graham, who has slammed fire and rehire as “one of the scandals of our age,” said the vote was a welcome step forward.

Ms Graham, who is not attending conference this year in order to focus on Unite’s ongoing industrial disputes, said: “Unite will continue to take action at the workplace to defeat the employers using this practice. It is a brutal assault on wages and conditions.

“We can win on fire and rehire and win more often if we fully commit to focusing on building union strength and organisation at the workplace.”

Monday’s motion also reaffirmed conference’s support for stronger individual employment rights, the repeal of all anti-trade-union laws, a ban on zero-hours contracts and an end to outsourcing in public services.

Mr Gardiner hosted former party leader Jeremy Corbyn and ex-shadow chancellor John McDonnell as well as delegates at his “end fire and-rehire” hub next door to the main conference hall in Brighton today.

The Brent North MP’s private member’s Bill, which aims to abolish the tactic, is set to debated by MPs during its second reading in the Commons next month.