Has anyone seen this complete load of rubbish that came to light this week? Action Against Business Crime (AABC) Group have set up a National Staff Dismissal Register for retailers. It will apparently hold data on individuals who are dismissed for prescribed “dishonesty” reasons, including theft and/or damage, and on individuals who resign part way through a disciplinary process or investigation based on such reasons. The organisations that have signed up - allegedly including Harrods, Mothercare and Selfridges - to the scheme will have access to this information and are likely to use this in their employee vetting process.
Just imagine creating something that broke every rule in the employment discrimination handbook and not even having it officially regulated!! Well AABC seem to have chosen have chosen to do this with their stupidly misguided register.
How the hell can you have a register of dismissed employees when each retailer has its own disciplinary criteria. The phrase double standards springs to mind!!
The Register will apparently hold data on individuals who are dismissed for prescribed “dishonesty” reasons, including theft and/or damage, and on individuals who resign part way through a disciplinary process or investigation based on such reasons. The organisations that have signed up to the scheme will have access to this information and are likely to use this in their employee vetting process. So unproven acts could well get employees put on an employment blacklist!!
Let me see what could be laws could be infringed........
- Data Protection Act
- Age discrimination
- Employees human rights
- The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
- Sex discrimination
- Race discrimination
There is probably a load more as well. And what happens if an employee is wrongly placed (so they believe) on the register? They can of course go to a Tribunal, but by the time that happens, the damage to your reputation will have been done.
But for the employers the risk is even greater - if they publish allegations on the Register which could be considered defamatory, this then exposes them to a claim for damages, legal costs and risks damaging their own business reputation with the publicity such claims can attract.
What I just cannot believe that in todays politically correct climate - especially with the European Union imposing poncy European employment laws on us in the UK - that retail company's even want to be associated with this absolute rubbish.
Why would they risk being attached to something that could really damage their employment brand? Retailers, stay away from the madness that is the AABC!!!
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