Government Publishes Revised "Fire And Re-Hire" Code

In 2022, following public outrage when P&O ferries dismissed some 800 of its staff, the government announced that it would be publishing a new statutory code on the practice of dismissal and re-engagement (also known as 'fire and re-hire') to change employee terms and conditions. The government did not consider it appropriate to ban the practice altogether.

The government consulted on a draft version of the statutory code between January and April 2023. Its response to that consultation, together with a revised draft code (the "Code"), was published last week. The Code is shorter than the original draft and has been made less technical and easier to follow.

Scope of the code