The fight against zero-hour contracts at Sports Direct
A YFJ press release:
Activists in Youth Fight for Jobs (YFJ), an organisation that has been campaigning against zero-hour contracts, pledge to continue their fight against zero-hour contracts after news that Sports Direct joins the FTSE 100.
Sports Direct has hit headlines recently after it was revealed that 90% of their staff work on zero-hour contracts – where workers have no guaranteed hours.
Shares in the company, worth £4 billion, have increased from 32p in 2008 to 729p today.
Youth Fight for Jobs recently held a protest in Shirebrook, near the company’s HQ and distribution centre, demanding proper contracts with guaranteed hours, better conditions in the workplace and trade union rates of pay.
East Midlands organiser for Youth Fight for Jobs, Becci Heagney, said:
When we held our protest in Shirebrook we spoke to many people that currently work at Sports Direct. They told us about the conditions they work in – lack of health and safety, bullying management and long shifts without proper breaks.
Mike Ashley yesterday held a formal celebration of the company joining the FTSE 100 with shareholders.
It’s no surprise to us that one shareholder reportedly said ‘workers can get a job elsewhere if they don’t like [zero-hour contracts]’.
This shows the absolute ignorance that exists at the top of these companies to the people working for them and the conditions they are forced to live in.
Ashley and his colleagues don’t need to worry about how they are going to pay their bills each week because they haven’t been given enough hours at work.
They don’t need to worry that if they lose their jobs they will join 2,400 other people looking for work in Bolsover.
This confirms what Youth Fight for Jobs have been saying, that the use of zero-hour contracts does not benefit staff but only serves to boost the profits of companies like Sports Direct.
We will be holding further protests in Shirebrook and outside every Sports Direct store in the country to demand decent jobs and pay for their staff.
