Sainsbury’s and Waterstones did the decent thing regarding unpaid labour. But not Tesco who have the bleeding audacity to say:
Defending its continued participation in schemes that have elements of compulsion, Tesco said: “We take our responsibility as Britain’s biggest private sector employer seriously and are playing our part to help tackle unemployment in these challenging times.”
Tesco said that over the last four months around 1,400 people had worked for free for a month as part of work experience in its stores, and since the scheme began 300 jobseekers had gained a job with the company.
Below sums up Tesco
the question is how many people have been working for free at Tesco since this scam started? the 300 new starts at Tesco is misleading without this info
300 new starts is nothing… Everyone in Tesco (at the bottom anyway) works shifts – and small hours be default. A lot of employees get overtime (well up until workfare started taking the hours) although contractually only around 8 hours a week.
So these 300 new starts probably have 4 hour weekly contracts and are getting overtime to make 16-18 hours per week. In a year or so, the hours will dry up back to 4 hours, the employee then has to decide to walk… unless find another job to fit around such shift.
I know people who have been working at Tesco for 8-10 years… at recent (last year or so) the overtime is drying up – not enough hours to distribute out any more.
This said my local Tesco is a joke. Apart from nights (and a few other minor exceptions) where staff are placed on filling up the shelves… the rest of employees are either going around with these carts collecting items (for tesco.com deliveries) or are the handful on the tills. Never enough open for demand.
Last time I was in Tesco, one employee keep telling people her till was closing (i.e. go to another, or simply put the other two), along come a manager on the phone requesting staff to checkouts, she got frustrated when an ETA of 15 minutes were suggested… no idea why she couldn’t ask if the employee could remain on tills for another 30-60 minutes (yes she probably had other plans… but at least a typical proactive move to make) or more to the point get on a till herself for 15 minutes (I assume managers are till trained) rather than panicking like a headless chicken. I am sure there were a few workfare employees camped out in the warehouse acting busy.
Talking of Tesco
Tesco Night shifts (training for)
Tesco “Info Sessions” (new distribution centre opening later in the year)
There are hundreds of Tesco workfare placements, training or info sessions at the jobcentre. No chance they are backing out…
I get distracted by secondary issues, but here goes anyway.
It really pisses me off when we get some big boss of Tesco (usually a ‘Sir’ or whatever) going on the news complaining about how young people lack the ‘work ethic.’
Maybe people would rediscover the ‘work ethic’ if these bosses discovered the ‘fair pay’ ‘fair play’ and ‘fair conditions’ ethics?
This week my Tesco laid off twelve full time workers leaving over half the Till s closed we had to stand in line for ages, we were advised in serious stern Voice that the time was difficult and that profits were down. A number of people had left full basket and trolley and left saying well Asda’s profit are down as well and all Tills were open.
They are now looking to employ long term unemployed and the disabled who must work for benefits, yet I failed to get a job they stated I had to prove I could do the same work as everyone else.
Greed is great
It would be ace to get a job interview @ Tesco and be turned down only to be given the job a few months later unpaid for your benefits… I then wonder if you would have “good cause” for refusing it?