I have dealt with some bad employers in my time.

But the behaviour of BMW over the past week takes some beating for sheer industrial brutality.

Without a word of advance notice to the union nationally, BMW announced the sacking of 850 employees at Cowley, giving many of them only an hour’s notice and with no intention to offer any of them a penny in redundancy pay.

The first thing to say in response to this is simple and clear – “you’re not on”.

Unite is not going to accept any of these sackings until we have had proper discussions with the company about its difficulties and I have written to BMW boss Norbert Reithofer this week.

We know there are difficulties in the motor industry worldwide as a result of the collapse of free-market economics. But this is no way to deal with them.

As I wrote to Dr Reithofer: “You would not treat a dog in this way, never mind loyal and committed employees”.

Together with Unite’s joint general secretary Derek Simpson and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, I have been working flat out with the Government to find ways to support the car industry and the hundreds of thousands of jobs that depend on it through the current slump.

Clearly, serious and sizeable state support is needed if we are to ensure that this vital industry is to be still there producing cars when the recovery comes, as it inevitably will.

Ministers are responding to this message, if not as fast as I would like.

We are making progress, including on state funding for shorter-time working as an alternative to lay-offs.

That is the way to secure the future.

BMW management’s behaviour takes us back to the worst days of the Victorian past, however, with workers cast aside without a moment’s notice as the company puts profitability before people.

And – to add insult to injury – those same workers being told to hand their overalls in, or risk being docked £35 from their remaining wages.

I am particularly outraged at the way BMW has exploited the agreement on agency working at Cowley to dismiss workers at no notice and with no financial obligations to them.

Some of these workers have been employed at the plant for several years – something that is in itself an abuse of agency working arrangements.

I know some workers at Cowley feel the union could and should have done more earlier. Let’s be clear – unions don’t sack workers. The villain here is BMW. And our message to them is a blunt one: Cowley workers – agency or permanent – are not industrial cannon fodder.

We are not going to accept the dismissal of a single one without proper negotiation and agreement. And if workers do end up being laid off, we expect BMW to live up to its social responsibilities and pay proper redundancy terms.

And to the Government we say: “You have bailed out the bankers – act now to help the car industry. And close the loopholes that let agency workers be treated in this disgraceful way.”