Tuesday, February 12, 2013

If This is True, Shouldn't We Boycott Tesco?

Warehouse staff forced to wear armbands to monitor their workrate. It seems like a clear affront to human dignity to me.

Update, 15th February: I wrote to Tesco and got this response:

Dear Maolsheachlann

Thank you for your email. My name is Ann and I am a Customer Service Manager for Tesco.

The Tesco distribution centre at Donabate is a modern distribution facility employing modern work practices including the use of arm mounted terminals (AMT’s). AMT’s are a paperless order picking system used by our colleagues to help them with their daily workload. This has been common practice since the distribution centre opened and is a feature of working in any modern warehouse facility. AMT’s are a working aid and at no time are they used to monitor colleagues while on their breaks. A collective agreement is also in place with the SIPTU trade union.

Kind regards

Ann-Marie Bunston
Tesco Ireland Customer Service


That seems satisfactory enough, although the sentence "at no time are they used to monitor colleagues while on their breaks" seems a bit iffy to me. Are they used to monitor them during working time? And would executives and managers put up with that kind of monitoring?

All the same, I give them the benefit of the doubt.

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