Staff at the Equality and Human Rights Commission staged protests at the watchdog’s offices after 10 colleagues were given one day’s notice they were being made redundant as part of a savings programme that will see a total of 25 jobs lost.
The move is the latest chapter in the commission’s Spending Review-prompted organisational restructure, which has so-far resulted in five one-day strikes by unions PCS and Unite. A further four strikes are scheduled.
Protests were held outside EHRC offices in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Glasgow on Friday, the last day for the 10 staff told they were being made redundant on Thursday.
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A letter seen by Civil Service World said the workers were being made redundant because their roles had ceased to exist as part of the EHRC’s strategic review, and alternative employment was not available.
The letter said that while staff would be given six months’ pay in lieu of notice, there was no requirement for them to work out the notice period on the grounds that “working alongside colleagues in the new organisational structure may be stressful”.
PCS said the treatment meted out by EHRC was “unprecedented in the civil service and government agencies”.
It said the notices had been e-mailed out to the affected staff during a day of industrial action and that the decision to impose payment in lieu of notice had closed off redeployment options to affected staff.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said it was “absolutely reprehensible” that dedicated staff had been sacked and told to clear their desks with a day’s notice.
“That this has happened at the government body charged with upholding human rights and fair treatment in our society is an absolute scandal and we will continue to fight it,” he said.
An EHRC spokeswoman said it was untrue to say staff had been sacked by e-mail and that face-to-face meetings had taken place with the affected staff to tell them when redundancy letter would be issued.
“The full notice period is being paid as this will give every person the chance to focus on securing alternative employment, in which they will have our continued and full support to help them,” she said.
"Like every public sector organisation we have had cuts imposed on us and it is with great sadness that we have to issue redundancy notices.
“We regret having to do this but have made sure the process has been fair, robust and transparent.”
EHRC said the 15 other jobs being lost were a mixture yet-to-be-finalised compulsory redundancies, voluntary redundancies and "natural wastage".