Council votes to fire and rehire 150 staff

Labour councillor Richard Udall (left) condemned the decision, but Conservative Marcus Hart (right) accused him of "scaremongering"

Conservative councillors in Worcestershire have voted in favour of plans to fire and rehire 150 members of staff.

Worcestershire County Council said the move, which would see staff dismissed from 37-hour contracts and rehired on 35-hour contracts, would save £500,000.

Labour councillor Richard Udall said the decision was "outdated, old-fashioned and nasty" as he urged the council to look for alternative methods.

Speaking for the Conservatives, deputy council leader Marcus Hart accused Mr Udall of “scaremongering” and said fire and rehire was a “legal and lawful mechanism”.

Mr Udall referenced Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s promise to ban the controversial employment practice within 100 days of taking office.

Mr Udall said staff were “naturally upset, angry and possibly resentful” at a full council meeting on Thursday.

He said: “This is counter-productive. It will cost us more money than it saves.

“Some departments are losing the equivalent of more than a day a week. You can’t cut pay and hours and expect people to work harder.”

He disputed the amount the council would save, saying it could be “maybe £300,000”.

“It’s so bad it is being made illegal,” he told councillors, adding: “You will have to live with this on your consciences.”

Mr Hart said in response: “Nice try. Why let the truth get in the way of a good story? You paint a picture of 1980s Labour-led Liverpool. We are not nasty and mean.”

But he admitted: “We rely on the goodwill of our staff, many of whom work far in excess of their contracted hours. We say thank you.”

New contracts for affected employees would come into force on 12 October, he added.