{"id":8931,"date":"2016-06-07T16:09:40","date_gmt":"2016-06-07T15:09:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=8931"},"modified":"2016-06-08T16:47:50","modified_gmt":"2016-06-08T15:47:50","slug":"cant-be-responsible-for-everything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=8931","title":{"rendered":"\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be responsible for everything\u00e2\u20ac\u2122"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

MPs grilled Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley at a select committee hearing today (June 7) following a campaign spearheaded by Unite which blew the lid off the retail giant\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shocking work practices.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After repeatedly refusing to go before MPs, Ashley was forced to answer questions when threatened with contempt of parliament for failure to give evidence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ashley today accepted that there were many \u00e2\u20ac\u015bissues\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 with governance at Sports Direct, but he several times passed the buck.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He noted that decisions such as employing 80 per cent of workers on a temporary basis; management using a tannoy to \u00e2\u20ac\u015bname and shame\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 warehouse staff into working faster; and docking 15 minutes\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 pay when workers clocked in one minute late were not his own decisions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be responsible for everything that goes on in Sports Direct,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Ashley said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He admitted that many of Sports Direct\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s policies were \u00e2\u20ac\u015bnot acceptable\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 but when pressed by MPs on what steps he will take as part of his own internal review to right these policies, he noted that he could not specify what he would change, or when.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ashley concurred that an independent review of Sports Direct\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s employment practices would be more effective than his own internal one.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

MPs pointed to the wealth of evidence that Unite had brought before the committee and asked Ashley to commit to meeting with the union, to which Ashley responded by refusing to agree to any discussions beyond an annual meeting at the company\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s AGM.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The business, skills and innovation select committee also pressed representatives from the two employment agencies which supply Sports Direct with thousands of temporary workers at its main warehouse in Shirebrook, Derbyshire.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098New meat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Best Connection and Transline Group executives denied knowledge of much of Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s evidence, including allegations such as management commonly referring to new female employees as \u00e2\u20ac\u015bnew meat\u00e2\u20ac\u0165; staff being hit; and one worker being called \u00e2\u20ac\u015bselfish\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 for leaving on time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They adamantly answered \u00e2\u20ac\u0098no\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 when asked whether anyone, to the best of their knowledge, had been mistreated at Sports Direct.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Transline Group representatives emphasised they had constantly sought feedback from workers on their treatment at Sports Direct, and discovered no evidence of impropriety or mistreatment.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But when pressed about the extent of this feedback, Transline finance director Jennifer Hardy was forced to reveal that in a recent survey of 2,000 workers, only 45 responded.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner and Unite regional officer Luke Primarolo testified in front of the committee and highlighted the \u00e2\u20ac\u015bculture of fear\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 at Sports Direct.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bPeople are scared because they are working under a system when they know they could lose their employment at any moment,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Primarolo.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Primarolo highlighted a freedom of information request which revealed that an ambulance had been called more than 100 times to Sports Direct\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Shirebrook warehouse in the last three years. He pointed to five separate alleged workplace incidents relating to staff who were pregnant, including one in which a woman was forced to give birth in a toilet.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Turner argued that Sports Direct\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s business model, in which temporary workers live in constant fear, was becoming increasingly more common across the economy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is a race to the bottom that if we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t step in and interject and stop, will become the predominant employment model and there will be consequences for our economy,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Turner warned.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Below minimum wage <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s committee hearing came as Ashley admitted that his company had been effectively paying workers below the minimum wage.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As the Guardian first reported in December<\/a>, warehouse staff were forced to wait up to 15 minutes after their shifts ended in order to go through an invasive security check \u00e2\u20ac\u201c time for which they were not compensated.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite confirmed that it was in discussions with HMRC and the company on staff being given back pay.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThere is an agreement with HMRC and we are currently in the process of balloting our members … But this only affects employees [and not around 3,000 temporary workers],\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Turner.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s #SportsDirectShame banner \u00e2\u20ac\u201c with notable appearances earlier this year at Glasgow Rangers and Newcastle United football games \u00e2\u20ac\u201c was unfurled in locations near Parliament today before today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s select committee hearing, thanks to Unite community activists aiming to bring the issues to the attention of the British public (main picture).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAfter campaigning to expose what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been going on in Sports Direct for nine months, Mike Ashley has finally arrived at the Houses of Parliament today after much to-ing and fro-ing,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Unite community coordinator David Condliffe.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOur campaign is to get agency workers on to permanent contracts and to get workers paid the Living Wage,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bA company as successful as Sports Direct should be able to give people permanent contracts and security at work.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe next step in our community campaign is to continue working with shareholder groups, football fans, international unions and other campaign groups to bring to people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attention the dangers of this exploitative employment model,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Condliffe added.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen, the campaign is working \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Sports Direct\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s share prices have plummeted as shareholders have become aware of the exploitation that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going on within this company.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bNow, Mike Ashley is finally being made to answer for his employment model which is increasingly being replicated across the economy,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he went on to say. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not good for the people of the UK, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not good for the people of Europe and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s good for business or Mike Ashley either.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stay tuned on UNITElive for the latest on our #SportsDirectShame campaign.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And you can watch the full committee hearing, including Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s testimony and Mike Ashley\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s heated interrogation by MPs here.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pic by Mark Thomas <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MPs grilled Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley at a select committee hearing today (June 7) following a campaign spearheaded by Unite which blew the lid off the retail giant\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shocking work practices.   After repeatedly refusing to go before MPs, Ashley was forced to answer questions when threatened with contempt of parliament for failure to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8938,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[388],"wps_subtitle":"MPs grill Ashley on shock work practices","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8931"}],"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=8931"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8931\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8934,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8931\/revisions\/8934"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}