Debenhams redundancies

That this House condemns the way in which Debenhams has implemented the redundancies of thousands of workers during the Coronavirus outbreak; notes that staff were told via conference call that they would be made redundant with 3 days’ notice and 3 days’ pay and that there was no consultation or criteria for redundancies disclosed to staff; further notes that Debenhams is engaging in the immoral practice of ‘Fire and Rehire’, giving workers who have been laid off little choice but to reapply for positions with worse terms of employment; stands in solidarity with all of those staff affected; believes that this is part of a worrying pattern of large employers using the pandemic as a gateway to break employment law; and calls on the Government to urgently address these practices and to defend workers from unscrupulous employers.