Tesco and working for nothing in England

[seafoid]

Are the unemployed in Northern Ireland forced to work in Tesco or otherwise lose their benefits ? Or is this this just an over the water thing?


http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/feb/18/tesco-jobless-scheme-work-experience

The Department for Work and Pensions has come under pressure from Britain's biggest private employer to fundamentally change the terms of one of its flagship unemployment schemes following complaints that jobseekers are being used as taxpayer-subsidised labour in high street chains up and down the country.

Supermarket group Tesco said it has asked DWP officials to make the work experience scheme voluntary after thousands of angry customers wrote in and posted messages on Twitter and the company's Facebook site accusing the multinational of profiting from hundreds of thousands of hours of forced unpaid work.

[BennyCake]

Doesn't surprise me.

I took the decision over a year ago to boycott Tesco, sainsburys and Asda. They are ruining towns throughout the country. I support my local shops.

[Minder]

Doesn't surprise me.

I took the decision over a year ago to boycott Tesco, sainsburys and Asda. They are ruining towns throughout the country. I support my local shops.

How are they ruining towns? They are giving people a choice that choose not to get ripped off by their "local shops".

[seafoid]

How the fcuk can they expect people to work for them for nothing? If Tesco have jobs needing done they should be offering them to people.

Cnuts!

The British Government is forcing them to work for nothing.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/16/work-free-tesco-job-advert

the first time you refuse to take part, you lose your benefit for 13 weeks; the second, for six months. Subject to the passing of the current welfare reform bill, rejecting MWA for a third time will mean no benefit for three years – and, one assumes, destitution.

At which point, it's worth pausing to reflect on what all this actually entails. Thanks to referrals by both jobcentres and private-sector Work Programme providers, it's about people effectively working for nothing, not only in charities and the public sector, but in huge retail chains. Thanks to the legal action launched by Cait Reilly, we all know about Poundland. Asda, Boots, Argos and TK Maxx, and the Arcadia group (including Topshop and Burton) are also involved. Hats off, perhaps, to Sainsbury's and Waterstones for announcing that they have ended their involvement with this kind of work experience, but if you want an indication that workfare may be turning into an immovable part of the private-sector economy, consider last night and today's blizzard of outrage about a Tesco ad placed on the Jobcentre Plus website. It's for nightshift workers in East Anglia, who will be paid "JSA plus expenses". In response, Tesco's Facebook page has been transformed into a glorious example of an online demo, brimming with anger. "I'll be boycotting your stores with immediate effect until you stop this exploitation – I will also be urging all my friends and family and contacts to do the same," goes one post. "No more Tesco for me until you withdraw from this government workfare scheme ... It is compulsory forced labour," says another. The company are trying to keep a lid on it all, with little success: "You can delete as much as you like but this will now go viral," offers one poster.

[BennyCake]

Doesn't surprise me.

I took the decision over a year ago to boycott Tesco, sainsburys and Asda. They are ruining towns throughout the country. I support my local shops.

How are they ruining towns? They are giving people a choice that choose not to get ripped off by their "local shops".

Town centres are gone. Our local markets, fruit shops, record stores, newsagents, chemists, butchers, bakeries, bookshops etc etc are all suffering or closed down since these b******s moved in. They might sell some things cheaper, but when they've got rid of all the small businesses, then they can charge what they want because there'll be no competition. That's what Walmart have done in America.

If you work for these companies, you could be working anytime from morning til night. No overtime is paid anymore, no Sunday rates.

No thank you, I'll support my local shops, thank you very much.

[ziggy90]

Doesn't surprise me.

I took the decision over a year ago to boycott Tesco, sainsburys and Asda. They are ruining towns throughout the country. I support my local shops.

How are they ruining towns? They are giving people a choice that choose not to get ripped off by their "local shops".

Are you your village idiot? I was in Tesco this morning & their fresh fruit & veg was twice the price of the local Asian shops. The bread they sell is dearer than the same quality bread you can buy in the local bakery. I can give you numerous examples of local shops being better value than Tesco although I will give it to you that they are cheaper for "Lollypops". On the other hand they do offer a service where you can buy everything under one roof (if you're too lazy to shop around). I do agree with you Benny that these big supermarkets have their own agenda when it comes to pricing but human nature being what it is??

[thejuice]

I wish I had the gall of benny to boycott Tesco and ASDA but unfortunately there isn't much of a choice in our town as the local shops simply don't exist anymore. a lot of empty business spaces in the town centre

[thejuice]

Bad blow for Cross - O'Callaghan forced off with injury.

Will that affect the price of milk in tesco.

[BennyCake]

Bad blow for Cross - O'Callaghan forced off with injury.

Will that affect the price of milk in tesco.

Maybe O'Callaghan's cows won't be milked now due to his injury. You know, supply and demand and all that...

[orangeman]

Sorry lads - I was wonderng where that went - 

[bennydorano]

This is in place in NI afaik, 13 wk work placements under the Steps to Work programme, mite be voluntary here thou

[Minder]

This is in place in NI afaik, 13 wk work placements under the Steps to Work programme, mite be voluntary here thou

It depends on your age and how long you have been on the dole, but it is definitely in place here.

[Ball DeBeaver]

Doesn't surprise me.

I took the decision over a year ago to boycott Tesco, sainsburys and Asda. They are ruining towns throughout the country. I support my local shops.

How are they ruining towns? They are giving people a choice that choose not to get ripped off by their "local shops".

Town centres are gone. Our local markets, fruit shops, record stores, newsagents, chemists, butchers, bakeries, bookshops etc etc are all suffering or closed down since these b******s moved in. They might sell some things cheaper, but when they've got rid of all the small businesses, then they can charge what they want because there'll be no competition. That's what Walmart have done in America.

If you work for these companies, you could be working anytime from morning til night. No overtime is paid anymore, no Sunday rates.

No thank you, I'll support my local shops, thank you very much.

My wife works for Tesco and gets overtime and Sunday rates

[Minder]

Doesn't surprise me.

I took the decision over a year ago to boycott Tesco, sainsburys and Asda. They are ruining towns throughout the country. I support my local shops.

How are they ruining towns? They are giving people a choice that choose not to get ripped off by their "local shops".

Town centres are gone. Our local markets, fruit shops, record stores, newsagents, chemists, butchers, bakeries, bookshops etc etc are all suffering or closed down since these b******s moved in. They might sell some things cheaper, but when they've got rid of all the small businesses, then they can charge what they want because there'll be no competition. That's what Walmart have done in America.

If you work for these companies, you could be working anytime from morning til night. No overtime is paid anymore, no Sunday rates.

No thank you, I'll support my local shops, thank you very much.

My wife works for Tesco and gets overtime and Sunday rates

There are a few women in our work that work part time in Tescos and they wouldn't have and word said against them as regards benefits and working conditions.

[imtommygunn]

Sunday rates used to be written into contracts and then they discarded them. If you joined quite a few years ago (i.e. 8 or so +) you get them otherwise you don't was my understanding of it.