Making business care
I was thinking about the Post Office and P&O recently and what unites them. One company deliberately broke the law and fired its workers, because the fine was less than the savings in hiring cheaper workers. The Post Office continued to persecute its staff when it knew the evidence against them was deeply flawed, if not completely wrong.
Both sets of executives get paid a fortune, the Post Office for running a very small bank. But the likelihood of any of them actually being punished for their actions or inactions is very remote.
I even looked up the criteria for being banned from being a company director and was amazed to find that breaking the law, even deliberately breaking the law is not one of them.
This is a simple thing to solve.
Do you think P&O would fire workers if there was more than a fine, if every company director was banned from running a business for 10 years if they knowingly broke the law? Do you think Post Office board would have chased sub-postmasters with such zeal if perjury would disqualify them from ever working at the top of the company again.
These people are paid a fortune, they have legal responsibilities but apparently no personal liability.
Asking that they at least obey the law is not much to demand of people at the very top. Is it?
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.
By Jonty Bloom Media