Unions attack Fox's workplace rights comments Union leaders have rounded on Liam Fox, the former defence secretary, for calling for lower business taxes and for employers to be given stronger powers to fire workers. In an article in Wednesday's Financial Times, Mr Fox argued: "To restore Britain's competitiveness we must begin by deregulating the labour market. But trade unions reacted with anger, saying company bosses already had enough powers to hire and fire the staff they want. Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB union, said: "Large companies are awash with cash. Cutting their taxes will simply add to these cash piles and do nothing to boost demand. Making it easier to sack workers or treat them badly at work will increase insecurity and conflict and will not create a single job. Bob Crow, the head of the RMT union, said: "The Dodgy Doctor, and the rest of the old school right-wingers in the Tory party, would still have kids jammed up chimneys if it hadn't been for centuries of campaigning by the trade unions to clamp down on workplace exploitation. We will fight this latest attack on working people from the zombie adherents to unrepentant Thatcherism.