Super-rich Beecroft targets workers’ rights


Jeff Allen

While YFJ calls for investment in job creation to solve unemployment others have different solutions, seeing the crisis as an opportunity to push their anti-worker agenda.

Multi-millionaire ‘venture capitalist’ Adrian Beecroft wants Thatcherite ideas to operate throughout Britain’s industry. His notorious report wants ‘no fault’ redundancies to be government policy.

In this rich man’s dream, greedy bosses could sack any worker at their whim. With hardly any notice, no consulting with the unions and next to no compensation ‘troublemakers’ such as union workplace reps can be got rid of – if the working class doesn’t see his plans off.

Beecroft is a leader of the British Venture Capital Association and made his career out of slashing jobs and minimising big businesses’ tax payments, according to the Independent.

Crooked career

Beecroft picked up much expertise in the 1970s and 80s at Boston Consulting Group, which includes fellow anti-worker, anti-union right wingers Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney among its former employees.

Later Beecroft was a boss at Apax Partners, overseeing the company’s massive expansion through private equity. Thousands of jobs were culled as a result of buyouts involving Apax, including those of Yellow Pages owner Yell in 2003 and supermarket chain Somerfield in 2008.

Apax also helped the Guardian Media Group take over part of Emap publishing in 2008 to set up a new company in the Cayman Islands tax haven.

This ‘socially responsible’ career made Beecroft super-rich. His Hampstead mansion is now valued at £6.4 million. And for just a £625,000 donation to the Tories, he gets to advise the government on how to slash workers’ rights.

The Con-Dem coalition has already started work on 17 of the 23 proposals in Beecroft’s report. Trade unionists should fight Beecroft and all the other anti-worker laws.