{"id":7067,"date":"2015-12-10T16:02:47","date_gmt":"2015-12-10T16:02:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=7067"},"modified":"2015-12-11T14:25:42","modified_gmt":"2015-12-11T14:25:42","slug":"dickensian-work-conditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=7067","title":{"rendered":"‘Dickensian’ work conditions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Imagine working on the statutory minimum wage, now set at \u00c2\u01416.70 per hour \u00e2\u20ac\u201c well below what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s needed to meet basic expenses in the first place \u00e2\u20ac\u201c only to discover you aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t getting paid even this meagre amount.<\/p>\n

 
\nThis is a harsh reality for many of the thousands of workers who staff Sports Direct warehouses.<\/p>\n

 
\nEach day after their shift, they are rigorously searched \u00e2\u20ac\u201c including being asked to roll up their trouser legs and show the top of their underwear \u00e2\u20ac\u201c as part of Sports Direct\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s zero-tolerance policy toward theft.<\/p>\n

 
\nAnd for this daily humiliating search, which lasts about fifteen minutes, workers are not compensated. Many workers, too, are docked an extra 15 minutes\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 pay if they clock in even a minute late. This pay slash is meted out even if they arrive at the actual premises on time.<\/p>\n

 
\nA Guardian<\/em> investigation,<\/a> in which reporters worked undercover at a Sports Direct warehouse in Derbyshire in November, found that these employment practices mean staff are effectively being paid \u00c2\u01416.50 per hour. In the process, Sports Direct may be pocketing millions from its reduced wage bill.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Inquiry demand<\/strong><\/em>
\nIn light of the allegations, Unite has called for an official investigation into Sports Direct\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s practices by HMRC.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015b \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Gulag\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 working conditions have no place in 21st century Britain,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe Sports Direct board should be ashamed that its workforce is treated in such an appalling way.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnpaid searches and the docking of pay are potentially illegal and a scandal that could cause Sports Direct reputational damage,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe are currently consulting with lawyers and would encourage Sports Direct workers at Shirebrook to contact Unite to pursue potential legal action and damages.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn the meantime HMRC should not shrink from doing the right thing and should investigate Sports Direct as a matter of priority.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Inside the ‘gulag’<\/strong><\/em>
\nDocking pay and unpaid searches are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to intimidatory work practices at Sports Direct, the Guardian investigation found.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe Derbyshire warehouse, known locally as \u00e2\u20ac\u0098the gulag\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, is staffed mostly by Eastern Europeans who must all adhere to the retailer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u015bsix-strikes\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 system.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Workers are given a strike for various small infractions, including \u00e2\u20ac\u015btaking long\/excessive toilet breaks\u00e2\u20ac\u0165, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bexcessive chatting\u00e2\u20ac\u0165, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bhorseplay\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 or \u00e2\u20ac\u015busing a mobile phone in the warehouse\u00e2\u20ac\u0165. If a worker gets six strikes in a six month period, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re automatically given the sack.<\/p>\n

 
\nWorkers can also be given a strike for wearing any branded clothing \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re given a list of 802 brands they are forbidden from wearing, including many of Sports Direct\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s own brands.<\/p>\n

 
\nSports Direct workers live in extreme fear of losing their jobs \u00e2\u20ac\u201c most have only a basic grasp of English and so worry that they might not be able to find work elsewhere. Workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 fear hinders them from speaking out about the abuse they endure and forces them to accept long, erratic shifts if asked. This, the Guardian<\/em> investigation has found, has had a dramatic impact on workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 children.<\/p>\n

 
\nOne teacher who works at a primary school where the children of many Sports Direct workers study explained to the Guardian<\/em><\/a> how tough life is for these kids.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bYesterday one of our students was poorly, but they had come into school,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe mum works at Sports Direct but had to go to work as she is on a zero hours contract and can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get any more work.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe wanted to give the child medicine, but we couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get hold of the mum to get consent,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she added.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThese are the sorts of things that happen quite frequently. God forbid that a child had a serious accident, because we wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be able to get hold of the parents. We would have to call the police to go into the warehouse.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Culture of fear<\/strong><\/em>
\nSports Direct workers can be legally subjected to such draconian work conditions because they are all agency workers, and as such have few rights and protections under law.<\/p>\n

 
\nUnite regional officer Luke Primarolo explained.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe majority of the workers at the Shirebrook depot are on precarious agency contracts, which while not illegal, make it virtually impossible for them to challenge unfair treatment for fear of losing their job,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe culture of fear at Sport Direct\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Shirebrook depot is more akin to a workhouse than a FTSE 100 company,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Primarolo added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt needs to change with agency workers being given permanent contracts by Sports Direct and paid a decent wage.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nPublic pressure may force the change in work conditions and pay that Primarolo says is so desperately needed \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Sport\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Direct share prices plummeted today<\/a> (December 10) in the wake of the Guardian<\/em> investigation published last night.<\/p>\n

 
\nUnite community is leading the way in continuing to pile on the pressure.<\/p>\n

 
\nSinging specially adapted carols, Unite community members, along with faith groups and campaigners, will be highlighting Sports Direct\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Dickensian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 work practices outside stores in Mansfield, Leicester, Cambridge, Norwich, London, Truro, Bridgewater and North Wales this Saturday (December 12).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Imagine working on the statutory minimum wage, now set at \u00c2\u01416.70 per hour \u00e2\u20ac\u201c well below what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s needed to meet basic expenses in the first place \u00e2\u20ac\u201c only to discover you aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t getting paid even this meagre amount.   This is a harsh reality for many of the thousands of workers who staff Sports Direct […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5554,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[388,389],"wps_subtitle":"HMRC probe call following Sports Direct allegations","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7067"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7067"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7068,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7067\/revisions\/7068"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}