NORTHWICH MP Mike Amesbury has called on the government to condemn the 'deplorable' actions of the owner of British Gas.

In a Commson debate, Weaver Vale MP Mike Amesbury condemned Centrica on its practice of using a 'fire and re-hire' policy.

He joined a number of other MPs in signing a recent letter to Centrica chief executive Chris O’Shea over the company's demands that staff sign new contracts, with the looming threat that if they don't agree to do so - they will be sacked and re-hired on new terms.

Speaking in the Commons, he urged Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets Paul Scully to condemn the practice and also write to Centrica.

But he did not agree to so.

In the Commons, Mike said: "First it was British Airways, and now British Gas/Centrica has threatened thousands of employees with fire and re-hire tactics, including a number of my constituents, such as Wayne and Paul.

"These people have many decades of experience working for these British companies and our society.

"Will the Minister join me in condemning the company’s actions?

"What action is the Department taking to ensure that these deplorable approaches are dealt with?

"Write to them."

The Minister replied: "It is not acceptable for employers to use unacceptable negotiating tactics, including fire and re-hire.

"I understand that it is a difficult situation for employees to find themselves in.

"There are commercial matters between employers and employees, but we expect employers to treat their staff in the spirit of partnership.

"In the vast majority of cases, unlike the ones that have just been outlined, employers do want to do the right thing, and there are processes in place to prevent abuse."

The Guardian approached Centrica for a comments and a spokesman said: "We need to protect jobs for the long term.

"We’ve had over 300 hours of negotiations with unions and the majority of them have already voted to accept the changes – base pay and pensions are protected.

"We believe most of our colleagues understand that the company needs to modernise and well over 75 per cent are expected to accept before the end of the year."