Sports Direct 90% of staff on 0 hour contracts

[AdamSmith 10]

i hope that when the tide turns and people will be given proper contracts, people like you will be left without a workforce. then when you go under and have to work i hope that then you will realise just what job security means to you

 

people will never get "proper" contracts again , that is one of the reasons this country is screwed, old school unions and workforce expecting unrealistic salaries & pay rates without considering the profitability of the job.

i will never be left without a workforce thanks because there are plenty of hardworking realists out there who have self respect and will work for low hours or pay at the start and they will be recognized or be successful in their own right! as for job security!!! there is no such thing and even if there was it should be earnt not a given!

 

---------- Post added 30-07-2013 at 19:04 ----------

 

What budget?

 

If no one want's my services I don't get paid, but I still have to do some work to run the business. If I do lots of work I get to go on holiday but whilst I'm on holiday I don't get paid, and if I'm sick I can't work and don't get paid.

 

Not much different to a zero contract hours on the basis that I don't know how many hours I will be working or when I will be working. The phone could ring in five minutes and I might waste my time answering it or I could be going out to do some work, one never knows.

 

well put:thumbsup:

[Vague_Boy 10]

The unions can do more than strike, they can lobby the government for a change in the law, or run a media campaign to raise public awareness and get people debating the subject - then lobby the government again to really push the subject home.

 

I propose we hit it hard and we hit if fast with a major - and I mean major - leaflet campaign, and while it's reeling from that we'd follow up with a whist drive, a car boot sale, some street theatre and possibly even some benefit concerts.

Arnold Rimmer, Red Dwarf

 

What are the Labour party going to do about it? At some point they will be back in government and (theoretically) they are the party of the worker.

 

The Labour party are committed to including further regulation of zero hours contracts in their next election manifesto, but it was notable that last week Nicola Smith, the head of the economic and social affairs department at the TUC, indicated that the TUC “were unlikely to call for an outright ban”.

 

LINK

 

As a self-employed freelancer I am effectively on a zero hour contract. No paid holidays, no sick pay, no guarantee of work of any kind.

[JFKvsNixon 11]

What budget?

 

If no one want's my services I don't get paid, but I still have to do some work to run the business. If I do lots of work I get to go on holiday but whilst I'm on holiday I don't get paid, and if I'm sick I can't work and don't get paid.

 

Not much different to a zero contract hours on the basis that I don't know how many hours I will be working or when I will be working. The phone could ring in five minutes and I might waste my time answering it or I could be going out to do some work, one never knows.

 

Most, if not all self employed people I know work with a budget, ie organising their income and expenses. This budget takes into account time off for holiday, and putting some funds aside to cover time off sick as well and quiet periods.

 

What do you do, just spend whats coming in one week and then hope things continue as well the next week?

[ricgem2002 11]

Most, if not all self employed people I know work with a budget, ie organising their income and expenses. This budget takes into account time off for holiday, and putting some funds aside to cover time off sick as well and quiet periods.

 

What do you do, just spend whats coming in one week and then hope things continue as well the next week?

thats all well and good jfk, but most people especially people who work these zero hours contracts are usually in poorly paid jobs without any chance of saving for a rainy day.

[andygardener 10]

My understanding (I may have misunderstood) was that the law requires statuary holiday pay to be paid on the basis of actual hours worked for hourly paid workers regardless of contracted hours. Which seems entirely sensible otherwise everyone could avoid paying holiday pay by putting everyone on 0 hour contracts. Is the Guardian sure SD are not paying holiday pay to 90% of their staff?

[damophoto 10]

Aren't the permanent employees about to share an average £44k bonus? This was from 2011 but the bulk payment was due this summer.

 

Source Guardian Business 14/7/11

Based on Thursday's share price of 256.5p, Sports Direct's bonus share scheme pot of £88m will pay out shares worth an average of about £44,000 each to 2,200 permanent staff working in its shops, warehouses and the head office. But they will have to wait until the summer of 2013 for the lion's share (about £31,000).

[ECCOnoob 1,052]

What absolutely disgraceful "journalism" from the Guardian.

 

What about the NHS / Police forces / DWP / HMRC / British Telecom / Debenhams / Boots / Next / Primark / Cooperative Group / Waitrose / Asda / Morrisons and Tesco...

 

They all have zero hours contracts.

 

Sport Direct is the type of place that will have a monthly staff turnover of hundreds. School kids and uni students drift in and out of roles all the time. Many will be seeking flexible part time hours and no doubt will be very non-commital about those hours.

 

I dont blame them at all for doing zero hours contracts. I am sure it will be just perfect for both business need and employee need.

 

The nievity and faux shock on some of the comments on the article are just laughable. Firstly, half of the people commenting will have never stepped foot in the place. As for the handful that do - they would be fully aware that its a a pile it high and sell it dirt cheap store staffed by fetuses with walkie talkies. What do hell did they expect?

 

Sod the cheapo tat retailers. The real question to be asked here is if all these unions and MPs are so discusted by this - why the hell is half the civil service divisions still using them?

 

Complete hypocracy. Nothing more than using Ashley as a scapegoat. Just like all these "moralistic" prats used Jimmy Carr as a scapegoat for tax avoidance.

Edited July 30, 2013 by ECCOnoob

[Eli Nich 10]

Future? Nobody have seen it unless its a science fiction movie.

But again when one door gets closed other gets open.

[I1L2T3 10]

What absolutely disgraceful "journalism" from the Guardian.

 

What about the NHS / Police forces / DWP / HMRC / British Telecom / Debenhams / Boots / Next / Primark / Cooperative Group / Waitrose / Asda / Morrisons and Tesco...

 

They all have zero hours contracts.

 

Sport Direct is the type of place that will have a monthly staff turnover of hundreds. School kids and uni students drift in and out of roles all the time. Many will be seeking flexible part time hours and no doubt will be very non-commital about those hours.

 

I dont blame them at all for doing zero hours contracts. I am sure it will be just perfect for both business need and employee need.

 

The nievity and faux shock on some of the comments on the article are just laughable. Firstly, half of the people commenting will have never stepped foot in the place. As for the handful that do - they would be fully aware that its a a pile it high and sell it dirt cheap store staffed by fetuses with walkie talkies. What do hell did they expect?

 

Sod the cheapo tat retailers. The real question to be asked here is if all these unions and MPs are so discusted by this - why the hell is half the civil service divisions still using them?

 

Complete hypocracy. Nothing more than using Ashley as a scapegoat. Just like all these "moralistic" prats used Jimmy Carr as a scapegoat for tax avoidance.

 

I don't think anybody doubts that some businesses need a flexible workforce, and that some workers are happy to work flexibly. As I said above there is a place for this.

 

But come on, can it be really true that a business with a fixed number of locations and fixed operational hours has to have 90% of the workforce on flexible hours?

[Pidgeon 10]

Toys R Us used to do em, they called em Key Time Employees

[Fudbeer 12]

Aren't the permanent employees about to share an average £44k bonus? This was from 2011 but the bulk payment was due this summer.

 

Source Guardian Business 14/7/11

Based on Thursday's share price of 256.5p, Sports Direct's bonus share scheme pot of £88m will pay out shares worth an average of about £44,000 each to 2,200 permanent staff working in its shops, warehouses and the head office. But they will have to wait until the summer of 2013 for the lion's share (about £31,000).

 

Its only the full time staff that get the bonus.

[Shogun 10]

I had a delivery to do to their warehouse place in mansfield and everyone one of their staff there were polish or foreign.there were no English speaking people on the loading bay at all, not until I got to the office did I find a person that spoke proper English..