If The Body Shop can flout the law by firing its staff, the law is an ass

It is troubling that business organisations are already seeking to water down plans to redress the balance in favour of workers, says James Moore

The Body Shop has sacked hundreds of workers without giving them notice (Getty)

First, it was P&O. Now, it’s The Body Shop.

As revealed by The Independent, the struggling cosmetics retailer sacked 270 employees, including at least 15 women on maternity leave, at a moment’s notice via Microsoft Teams last Tuesday. So much for its brand values (its website mentions the firm’s founding vision that “business could be a force for good”).

The way the firings were conducted may well have put the company in breach of employment rights. After all, the administrators admitted that “normal regulations” – which require that employees or their representatives are consulted before redundancy programmes – were ignored.