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P&O scandal is a result of the weakness of British labour law
Professor KEITH EWING asks what is to be done over the appalling ease with which workers can be ‘fired and replaced’

GRANT SHAPPS’S nine-point plan in response to the P&O affair has been widely criticised as falling well short of what is required to deal not only with the ongoing dispute, but also with its legacy to ensure that this does not happen again. 

Yet despite the feigned surprise and faux outrage of the political classes, P&O is not a one-off problem, any more than were the other recent corporate scandals.  

It is a consequence of the systemic weaknesses of British labour law, which need to be addressed. So what needs to be done?

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