It seems that the use of ‘Section 188’ is growing, even in the private sector. While it used to be more common in the public and non-market sectors, this provision allowing employers to amend working conditions to avoid layoffs is apparently growing in manufacturing companies. (Ref. 130389)
Under the Section 188 method, employers are lawfully allowed to declare a consultation period with the workforce over the changes in terms and conditions by giving advance notification of redundancies, with the proviso that if the new terms conditions are not accepted by workers individually signing the new, revised contracts then they will be deemed to have dismissed themselves.
GMB union members at VIP Polymers in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, took the first of a series of one day strikes against the use of the ‘sign or be sacked’ method of changing their terms and conditions of employment.
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