Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2021 to Question 15260 on Civil Service Agencies: Standards, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that fire and rehire is not being used as a negotiating tactic in UK Government Investments; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government has been clear that using an approach which threatens to ‘fire and rehire’ staff is not acceptable as a negotiation tactic. HM Treasury is committed to maintaining the reputation of the Civil Service as a good employer and does not use this approach as a negotiation tactic.
Government departments are responsible for ensuring that terms and conditions of employment for civil servants are in accordance with the rules of Civil Service Management Code. The Civil Service Management Code only binds organisations that employ civil servants. Departments covered by the Civil Service Management Code are obliged to submit to the Cabinet Office workforce proposals or arrangements which are contentious or raise questions of propriety (which is made clear in paragraph 4).
Our Arm's Length Bodies (ALBs) are responsible for managing their own staff but are governed by the Framework document that sets out the remit and governance arrangements for each ALB. ALBs are also governed by the Civil Service Management Code if they employ Civil Servants.