Fire rehire - are private schools firing their staff? Can they do that?

[TraceyDeacy]

Can someone explain about fire / rehire? Does it ever happen?

A lot of colleagues in private schools have been served ‘fire rehire’ notices if they don’t agree to sign a new contract.

When P&O did this, there was national outrage.

I thought that Labour were going to stop it, but there is one school in Tring that is doing exactly this, right now.

What will happen to those teachers? Will they actually be fired?

Here is Tring, by the way: https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/tring-park-staff-to-strike-over-fire-and-rehire-plans-in-pensions-row

It's related to the teachers pension. In the state sector the employers contribution is met by the state. In the private sector the schools have to pay but the rate is set by TPS. In April 2024 the rate went from 23% to 28% of the teachers pay being paid by the employer into the pot. Many private schools cannot afford this contribution so offer their teaching staff other pension schemes and various options. The threat of fire and hire is part of the negotiating process.

But you don’t have to fire / rehire to consult on pensions.

Plenty of schools have found alternative routes.

This is surely abhorrent practice, isn’t it?

It is happening all over the place and is linked to pensions

This is what I have found on fire / rehire (below) … even Boris and Jacob Rees-Mogg condemn it.

BBC: A spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "Using threats of firing and rehiring is completely unacceptable as a negotiating tactic. We expect companies to treat their employees fairly’

'Fire and rehire tactics shame businesses' Jacob Rees Mogg

… but are teachers actually being fired?

@TraceyDeacy , in reality it rarely happens, it's a negotiation option. You can search other threads in MN for this. Outside the public sector the general public are amazed that teachers have 28% of their salary paid by their employer into their pension pot each year with the state meeting state school teacher contributions and private schools having no control over the contribution rate.

In some cases fire and rehire can be the only way to make pension changes.

At present, doing so is legal, albeit can cause reputational and staffing issues.

I have heard about loads of schools threatening using fire rehire (and serving the Section 188 notice), but Tring is the only one I can see where those teachers are actually about to be dismissed.

Who is advising these schools to do this? Surely schools don’t want children being taught by distressed teachers? In which case, what do parents think they are paying for?

Is it true that every school that uses fire / rehire is in such dire financial straits that they have to sack their own staff? Doesn’t seem plausible.

Presumably the teachers in question have refused to sign the variation to their contract necessary to make the pensions-related change.

If they do that they won't be dismissed.

The way the negotiations are being putched is that normally staff are coerced into accepting new and inferior contracts. I definitely know that there are schools that 100% have said they will do this.

I thought that fire rehire was roundly condemned.

It seems like an appalling way to treat your teaching staff.

The Labour Party have promised to end fire and rehire.

Will this just be too late for the teachers at Tring Park?