Sports Direct: Proper hours and wages call

Two Labour MPs – Gloria De Piero for Ashfield, and Bolsover’s Dennis Skinner, today (Friday January 8) called on Sports Direct to end abusive work practices at its warehouse in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, by putting agency workers on permanent contracts and paying the ‘real’ living wage.

Today’s call by the MPs, who have constituents working at the depot, comes as Sports Direct issued a profits warning and follows a briefing held in Mansfield by Unite.

Sham

Discussing continuing concerns over ‘Dickensian’ work practices at Sports Direct’s Shirebrook depot, the briefing heard that a review by billionaire Mike Ashley into the treatment of agency workers, lacked independence and risked being viewed as a sham without trade union involvement.

Mike Ashley’s review follows an ongoing campaign by Unite which represents permanent workers at the retailer’s Shirebrook depot and head office.

A recent Guardian investigation found that extra, unpaid time taken for “rigorous” compulsory searches meant workers were paid less than the minimum wage leading to calls for a HMRC investigation.

“Sports Direct needs to heed the call from MPs to end abusive work practices by putting agency workers on permanent contracts and paying the proper living wage,” commented Unite regional officer Luke Primarolo .

‘Fundamental problems’

“Today’s profit warning shows fundamental problems remain at Sports Direct from the use of zero hours contracts in its stores through to the treatment of agency workers at its main warehouse in Shirebrook,” he added.

“A continued failure by Mike Ashley to involve Unite and other independent bodies in his review of agency workers runs the risk of it being seen as a whitewash and adding to the growing unease of customers and the City.

“If Mike Ashley is to restore investor confidence and realise his promise of becoming a model employer, then he needs to start working with Unite to restore dignity to the workplace.”

Gloria De Piero MP is concerned. “I’ll never forget my constituent Liga Shaw coming to see to tell me about her Dad, Guntars Zarins, who worked at the warehouse in Shirebrook,” she recalls.

“Mr Zarins collapsed with a blood clot on his brain and is now in wheelchair because he was too scared to phone in sick in case he got a mark against his name.

“Working practices like this have no place in this day and age. Michael Ashley should hang is head and shame over what has gone on at his firm under his watch,” she added.

 

Working conditions at the depot have been likened to a ‘gulag’ and are underpinned by a ‘six strikes and you’re out’ disciplinary procedure. Under the procedure, agency workers can get ‘strikes’ for taking too long in the toilet, talking too much or even having time off for sickness.

A Channel 4 Dispatches investigation in 2015 exposed a workforce in constant fear of losing their jobs with staff in the Shirebrook warehouse ‘named and shamed’ over a tannoy for not working fast enough.

A separate BBC investigation found that ambulances were called to Shirebrook site more than 80 times in two years.