I have received the following information from several trusted sources.
The following is now/or will be happening in several areas within the company.
Several years ago, a dispute was resolved by a signed agreement between employees and the company, a major part of the agreement being that the employees would receive retained pay in perpetuity.
The company have unilaterally decided they now wish to renege on this agreement, I say renege because in my opinion I know of no other suitable word.
They have offered a payment equal to 18 months of retained pay to terminate the agreement, employees have until 13th Feb 2021 to accept or decline. You may no doubt be thinking that appears to be a reasonable offer.
However, the sting in the tail is that those who decline will be Dismissed, yes Sacked. But maybe re-engaged in their jobs on new T&Cs and pay structure.
If those that accept leave the company (other than permanent ill health) or transfer to a role which does not attract the retained pay then they must repay, on a pro rata basis, the award payment.
Is it just coincidence that this is happening at a time of rapid rising unemployment due to the Coronavirus Pandemic?
Should staff be dismissed for wishing to honour an agreement?
Is this how this company honours an agreement?
Is this how a British company now treats long serving employees?
Could you, your family or friends be next?
Outrageous >:( Just how low can some companies go.
"Never make a deal with the devil >:D"
No matter what deal you sign, it doesn't seem to be worth the paper it's written on. In all walks of life
British gas are litterally on strike right now cause of a fire then rehire policy
Tesco look after there customers and there staff. My arse they do
If this is the case surely shows how low Tesco is now, morally bankrupt.
What jobs are this in reference to? Or the deal
What deal is this in relation too?
How long ago was this deal agreed?
How many colleagues are we talking about that this affects?
Is it Stores,Distribution or HO that this affects?
How much on average per colleague are we realistically talking about? £10,£100,£100 per month?
And who are the several trusted sources?
Please don’t say they are from Doris on checkouts or Steve from nights or again it could be from Dave the instore union rep(who hates Tesco) or even Becky my team manager but then again it could be from the trustworthy SM who if true has leaked confidential information.
From enquires I have made a Scottish DC is included, but there are other locations in the same situation,
And you can take that from the horses mouth :thumbup:
The point is that once this course of action is established it could, and highly likely to, happen in any sector of the company.
The location and the numbers or the amount are immaterial when considering the principle.
A deal(signed & sealed) is a deal, to threaten dismissal for failure to surrender ones rights could be a form of blackmail.
Distribution are already aware and those affected in consultation. It’s in the media...
https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/lifestyle/food-and-drink/tesco-supplies-risk-strike-threat-retail-giant-plans-cut-pay-distribution-workers-thousands-3116498 (https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/lifestyle/food-and-drink/tesco-supplies-risk-strike-threat-retail-giant-plans-cut-pay-distribution-workers-thousands-3116498)
QuoteA spokesman said: “A very small number of colleagues in our distribution network receive a supplement to their pay which was offered a number of years ago as an incentive to retain colleagues.
More complicated than the company quote implies, and misses the point that it is a signed agreement.
>:( out of the blue told 4 weeks take it or leave it,some guys set to lose 3k to 13k a year!!! I'm mid range,reneging on a deal ...stressed and disgusted.
The potential for this is that employers may be able to fire staff and re hire on a lesser contract without having to pay redundancy packages :question:
Would/Could this become normal practice amongst companies to avoid paying redundancy packages ever again :question:
As this is union backed strike action, any dismissals as a result of this would be classed as automatic unfair dismissal, they can fire them, but would have to pay out greater sums than for redundancy.
is this similar to what ASDA did a few years back?
Lol there will be no strike, the union will roll over and show its belly to tesco
The union in the link is unite, not the union-only-in-name USDAW (read uselessdaw), they, unlike uselessdaw didn't suppress tesco workers rights by forming the partnership agreement giving up members rights to strike action, though from what I hear still a sub-par union, they have no issues allowing Strike action if necessary.
Tesco condemned by Livingston MP (https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/politics/tesco-condemned-livingston-mp-over-plan-cut-pay-290-workers-3126252)
QuoteMs Bardell met Tesco bosses along with West Lothian SNP MSPs Fiona Hyslop and Angela Constance and urged the company to think again about its intention to end the “retained†bonus by firing and rehiring the workers.
She said: “I condemn the company’s action. We have asked them to pause and reconsider because they are breaking a contract.
As shitty and c**p as it is, Tesco are completely within their rights to do this, when it really comes to it large corporations can do what they want. Maybe people will stop electing officials that hate the working class, stop voting tories. Tesco wouldn’t be breaking any laws doing this.
Think it bad now, the tories have already said they will be looking at employe rights post brexit, can’t see use getting more rights lol
It would possibly never come to it, but is there not such a thing as breach of contract ?
Is this to do with distribution, not stores.
It used to be that different depots made their own pay and conditions agreements. I am not sure as I work in stores but I think there has been a move towards trying to get depots all the same. I gather that at one time the pick rates varied hugely between depots for example.
Is this all to do with this?
It is centred around Distribution, but the matter of the breaking of a signed & sealed agreement is of of much wider concern, or it should be.
"a move towards trying to get depots all the same" I can understand that, but breaking an agreement and dismissing long serving employees is not the way to do it, especially trying the excuse that new payroll software does not understand protected payments.
Here's a novel idea write the software with the ability to do so 8-)
That would cost Tesco money, the axe wielding CEOs of late wouldn't have it as that means money out of their pocket, better to screw the serfs and proletariets than trouble the Bourgeoisie with moral quandries.
At least distribution can strike
Interesting about the payroll side of things. Work & Pay has struggled with the premium pay for early starts in my store. It has to be be put through as ad hoc pay and not premium as premium did not pay people. Oracle could not cope with Sunday trading hours in Scotland. Work & Pay is closer to being rolled out to all now though. It was all directors first, then all salaried and some trial stores. Looks to be everyone else October time but date has been moved back a few times so not set in stone.
Court decision blocks Tesco's fire and rehire strategy (https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2021/02/court-decision-blocks-tescos-fire-and-rehire-strategy/)
QuoteA Court of Session decision will stop the strategy adopted by supermarket Tesco n firing and rehiring workers, according to the retail workers union Usdaw.
The judgement applies to the distribution centre at Livingston and places an immediate stop on the company forcing some of the staff there to sign a new contract. This might have affected staff by reducing their wage packet by anything between '£4,000 and £19,000 a year. The employer demanded that workers signed a new contract by today Saturday, and this is no longer lawful.
good good good :thumbup:
Adams currently doing 120mph up the M1 with a boot full of disciplinary packs and Let's Talk forms
Quote from: Nomad on 14-02-21, 04:45PM
Court decision blocks Tesco’s fire and rehire strategy (https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2021/02/court-decision-blocks-tescos-fire-and-rehire-strategy/)
QuoteA Court of Session decision will stop the strategy adopted by supermarket Tesco n firing and rehiring workers, according to the retail workers union Usdaw.
The judgement applies to the distribution centre at Livingston and places an immediate stop on the company forcing some of the staff there to sign a new contract. This might have affected staff by reducing their wage packet by anything between £4,000 and £19,000 a year. The employer demanded that workers signed a new contract by today Saturday, and this is no longer lawful.
:thumbup:
QuoteRetained pay was offered a number of years ago as an incentive to retain colleagues, Tesco said.
If my memory is correct it was offered to resolve a problem created by the company..
QuoteToday we have over 16,000 colleagues working in distribution, the vast majority of whom do not receive this top-up, so we have taken the decision to phase it out.
Unilaterally renege on a signed agreement.
QuoteWe made a fair offer to those colleagues affected, and many of our colleagues have chosen to accept this. This decision does not affect the voluntary process.
On threat of dismissal :o 'do this or your sacked' :thumbdown: 'voluntary' >:(
I'm hearing T* are changing the contracts of long serving staff in Distribution. Anyone have any details?
This is true they are trying to change everyone to the same contract so for certain staff it would mean a drop in hourly rate but we won't know what else it entails until a sit down with our managers, also a performance related hourly payment which unfortunately is subject to change at any time by Tesco.
By the looks of things they are offering new staff a far higher pay rate than experienced staff. If the 'old contract' staff want the same rate, they have to sign the 'new' contract.
knobs! and that's putting it politely. if you're young, i advise you to tell them to shove it and leave