‘Nothing more than PR’

Plans outlined today (March 9) by the embattled retailer Sports Direct, to choose a worker representative to sit in on its board meetings, drew a sceptical response from Unite.

The union which has been at the forefront of a campaign against ‘Victorian’ work practices at Sport Direct’s Shirebrook warehouse warned the move risked being nothing more than a ‘PR exercise’.

“Given Sports Direct’s past behaviour and its refusal to involve Unite, we remain deeply sceptical about the process and whether a single unsupported representative will have a meaningful voice on a board which has been severely criticised for poor corporate governance,” said Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner.

“Question marks remain over whether the process is one by selection or election and who will be involved or able to stand. The majority of the shameful practices exposed by Unite involve over 3,000 agency workers at its Shirebrook warehouse.

“We remain to be convinced whether managers or supervisors directly employed by Sports Direct will actively voice the concerns of this sizeable part of the workforce should they be chosen as the worker representative.

“If the worker is hand-picked by Sports Direct, without union support, training and confidence to speak up, then this risks being little more than a PR exercise rather than a serious attempt to right the wrongs of the past.”