UK labour body, Unite maintains it has prevented around 200 agency workers based at Bentley’s site in Crewe being made redundant by employment provider, Adecco, while the car manufacturer started ceasing production due to the Covid-19 health crisis.
Unite says its “fierce intervention” reversed Adecco’s decision and the agency workers have now been put into the government’s job retention scheme on 80% of their pay.
“If these workers had been made redundant, they would have found it extremely difficult to find alternative work and would have been forced onto universal credit,” said United regional officer, Julie Burgess.
“A [s] soon as Unite was informed Adecco was planning to make workers redundant, the union exerted maximum pressure and we are very pleased the employment agency has now agreed to use the government’s furlough scheme.
“In these unprecedented times it’s imperative employers behave responsibly and use the government’s scheme wherever possible. Because these agency workers had union recognition, Unite was able to intervene and negotiate a fairer outcome.”
Bentley told just-auto it had “nothing to add,” while Adecco did not return calls.
