The rule around here is that if you make someone redundant because their position is to be eliminated you can't fill or replace the position for six months. Otherwise you can be sued for unfair dismissal.

I think the issue of the "whim" is not as extreme as firing someone over a bumper sticker for the most part. However, when you think about the way most American companies operate, they consider firing people and downsizing as one of the first items on their agenda when going through financial hurdles. Nevermind that companies like Delphi, GM, LTV, and many others have been horribly mis-managed. It seems that more often than not, it is the workers who pay the price for a company's financial trouble.
Again, I don't think layoffs or firing people is unavoidable in all cases. I just think they are done with much greater ease here than anywhere else without too much consideration for fairness.

Mikhail from SF