Mike Ashley believeable or not

[alarmingmark]

Because, rightly or wrongly, people feel more viscerally when things happen closer to home. The workers at the SD Warehouses in Shirebrook isn't that far from Sheffield. People on here may have family members who work there, and can give 1st hand experience.

It's also a reference point as, many people have pointed out, his company, an incredibly wealthy one, have broken the law, and engaged in business practices that shouldn't belong in a rich country like ours in the 21st century. It's the contrast that makes it stick out like a sore thumb.

 

full of polish and other Eastern Europeans

[hackey lad]

my lad works there. has done for over 4 years now . started out with an agency on a zero hours contract but never worked less than 35 hours a week . last year he was took off the agency and now works for sports direct . when he started his only gripe was the waiting time to get out , through security , says that's changed now . From what I can gather it is about 10 % English rest made up from eastern Europe . . last week he left a list at home of people working on his shift , 25 people all east Europeans . he tells me shirebrook is now like a east European community . but having said all that he is happy to be employed there

[Mister M]

No it doesn't, but as a nation it clearly doesn't bother us because we are happy to import from countries that treat worker much worse. What we clearly want is cheap stuff and how we get it appears to be unimportant, the same thing is happening on our farms, the exploitation of cheap labour from abroad.

 

Well yes, lots of people don't care. But I guess on that basis we wouldn't have news programmes at all - or at least ones that feature stories on foreign affairs.

Nevertheless people are capable of holding contradictory opinions at the same time. So they may not give a damn about sweatshops in India, but maybe interested in employment relations at SD. Maybe an example of cognitive dissonance....

[tinfoilhat]

my lad works there. has done for over 4 years now . started out with an agency on a zero hours contract but never worked less than 35 hours a week . last year he was took off the agency and now works for sports direct . when he started his only gripe was the waiting time to get out , through security , says that's changed now . From what I can gather it is about 10 % English rest made up from eastern Europe . . last week he left a list at home of people working on his shift , 25 people all east Europeans . he tells me shirebrook is now like a east European community . but having said all that he is happy to be employed there

 

Does anyone know why it's full of Eastern Europeans? It's not like shirebrook is over-burdened with employment opportunities and housing is cheap compared with a lot of other places.

[sutty27]

Does anyone know why it's full of Eastern Europeans? It's not like shirebrook is over-burdened with employment opportunities and housing is cheap compared with a lot of other places.

 

Because SD knew that British workers wouldn't put up with the pay and conditions that were on offer, so they encouraged migrant workers to come over here to work.

[Anna B]

Does anyone know why it's full of Eastern Europeans? It's not like shirebrook is over-burdened with employment opportunities and housing is cheap compared with a lot of other places.

 

Perhaps because they are more easily subdued and less likely to know /or fight for their rights. They are also more likely to move on than stay for any length of time and therefore won't qualify for any EU protection either.

 

80% are on 0 hours contracts, and those that have no bank account have their money paid onto a company card which costs them £10 a week, plus an administration charge and a 75p charge for every transaction. What British worker would put up with that?

[tinfoilhat]

Perhaps because they are more easily subdued and less likely to know /or fight for their rights. They are also more likely to move on than stay for any length of time and therefore won't qualify for any EU protection either.

 

80% are on 0 hours contracts, and those that have no bank account have their money paid onto a company card which costs them £10 a week, plus an administration charge and a 75p charge for every transaction. What British worker would put up with that?

 

Have you been to shirebrook? What happened to the proud mining stock taking on The Man?

 

Fun fact: Jason Statham was born in Shirebrook. His views on Sports Direct aren't yet know.

[Penistone999]

No, you can't make the kind of money he has and claim to be totally oblivious to the working conditions within his own company.

 

He knew full well what was going on.

 

No one is forced to work for his company. Every employee is free to leave when ever they want .

 

---------- Post added 07-06-2016 at 23:08 ----------

 

If he was truly sorry he would bring in a manager with a working brief to employ people correctly with rights, proper contracts and pay.

 

 

No one was forced to sign a zero hours contract with his company. it was entriely their decision.

[chalga]

This is the best example yet of how a British Business is undermining British infrastructure,and lets hope more are exposed...............while migrants get the blame,people like Ashley get away unscathed and blameless while pocketing the cash......for this reason alone,vote out of the EU:

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-35604776?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_england&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=english_regions

 

 

 

 

 

Police say they have safety concerns about overcrowded houses in the town where one of Europe's largest sports retailers is based.

 

Sports Direct employs at least 3,500 agency workers at its site in Shirebrook, Derbyshire.

 

While filming in the town, the BBC was shown houses "carved into flats", including one with rooms partitioned down the middle of its windows.

 

Bolsover Council admitted it was caught off guard by the influx of workers.

 

Figures obtained by the BBC also show 46 housing complaints relating to overcrowding, repairs and conditions were made from April 2015 to 21 December last year - up from 16 in 2005-06.

Image caption Housing complaints relating to overcrowding and conditions have almost tripled in 10 years

 

The Sports Direct agency workers, largely employed in the company's warehouse, come mainly countries such as Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Albania.

 

There are 500 permanent staff at the site.

 

The council estimates 1,500 people have moved to Shirebrook - which has a population of more than 13,000 - in the last four years, with many renting rooms in houses near the company's headquarters.

 

Police community support officer (PCSO) Steve Cathcart said: "There's been an influx of Eastern Europeans and the landlords that own the houses are carving these houses up into flats.

 

"Our concern is the fire risk, the safety to these people that are moving in."

 

Police said more than 30 properties in the area were a particular worry.

Image caption Councillor Karl Reid said the authority had not been prepared for the "massive" rise in Shirebrook's population

 

The police said one of the occupants in the house where two rooms had been visibly partitioned up to the windows works at Sports Direct, but added the resident had "no fire doors".

 

Bolsover councillor Karl Reid, who is responsible for community cohesion, admitted the authority had not adequately prepared itself for the sudden increase in Shirebrook's population.

 

"[On the window dividers] that is not acceptable and that will be investigated," he said.

 

"It was a gradual thing, then suddenly there was a massive spurt. I think that's where we may have got it wrong or we weren't on the ball for it, and I have to accept that."

 

The authority said it had introduced public spaces protection orders to stop people drinking and urinating on the town's streets.

 

It said it was also closing off a footpath near Sports Direct because of anti-social behaviour, including human defecation.

 

Since November, it said 20 fines have been handed out - 19 for drinking and one for urinating - to people in breach of these orders.

Image caption PCSO Steve Cathcart - a former miner - frequently patrols Shirebrook with an interpreter

 

Mr Reid added Sports Direct's senior staff was working with them for the first time in more than a decade.

 

The company - which has declined to comment - are part of a multi-agency group called Shirebrook Forward.

 

"They've changed their tack," Mr Reid said.

 

"They've now - over the last six months - come to us and engaged with us on a senior management level."

 

Sports Direct said in December they will be reviewing all agency workers' terms and conditions.

 

It follows a BBC Inside Out investigation last October into the company's warehouse working practices.

Edited June 7, 2016 by chalga

[Anna B]

No one is forced to work for his company. Every employee is free to leave when ever they want .

 

---------- Post added 07-06-2016 at 23:08 ----------

 

 

 

No one was forced to sign a zero hours contract with his company. it was entriely their decision.

 

That's not entirely correct is it?

 

If you leave a job voluntarily because 'you don't like it' you had better have another job to go to because you won't be able to claim any unemployment benefit. In an area where this company is way and beyond the biggest employer, that is going to be difficult.

 

Likewise, you will not have much choice in signing a 0 hours contract if you are offered a job, or again you will have intentionally made yourself unemployed and won't qualify for any state help.

 

So not much choice is there? Unless you can live on fresh air...