No social plan, no company agreement - and pockets only for managers: Eybl's works council raises serious accusations against Sports Direct.
Since the ailing sports retail chain Sport Eybl/Experts passed completely into British hands in April, job anxiety has been running rampant among the approximately 2,000 employees. The discount giant Sports Direct is completely turning the former family business upside down, but in the process is giving neither employees nor works councils enough information, criticize employee representatives. "Everyone is totally rattled. There are no answers, but a lot of questions," said the company's central works council members Claudia Swoboda and Manfred Nemeth in an APA interview.
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They are making serious accusations: the new owners have refused to accept the social plans demanded and a works agreement. For months, the works councils have been waiting for an economic concept on how to proceed with the loss-making company.
Trouble over new dress code
New clothing regulations are also causing trouble. "All we ever get is, 'In England, that's the way it's done.' Only we are not in England here," Swoboda said. "Please make sure everyone gets the right parts. Please pay special attention to the difference between employee and manager pants and shorts, employee pants do not have pockets, manager pants do," the works council members quoted from the German version of a management information sheet. Employees would thus be placed under general suspicion of stealing, Swoboda criticized.
In 37 stores, Sports Direct also initially introduced time recording via fingerprint, but this has since been abolished, especially as there is no data protection works agreement, according to the works council members. According to their own statements, they were able to stop planned bag checks in time.
Works council threatens court
Thomas Bittermann, who Sports Direct recently took over as Austria's managing director, is outraged by the accusations. "I'm surprised these issues are being played out through the media. We exchange information on an ongoing basis. A next date has already been set," he told APA.
Bittermann explains that Sports Direct is a globally active company that uses control measures that conform to the respective legal systems. Bag checks are not generally prohibited in Austria, provided there is a company agreement or the employee has agreed to them in the employment contract. At present, however, there is no such company agreement. Bittermann says, "We are in talks with the works council on many points."
Bittermann, on the other hand, is "not allowed to make any decisions, says the works council. Everything is coordinated with England and someone from England is always present at important meetings," says Nemeth. The next meeting is scheduled for December 9. However, the works council does not want to wait that long. They want to see proposals for solutions by September 15, otherwise they will take legal action together with the GPA trade union via the conciliation board, the works council members announced. At 12. and September 13, there will be works meetings in those 11 of 53 stores.
Two branches to close
Sports Direct has announced its intention to complete the restructuring of the sports retail chain without layoffs, the works council members said. Two stores closed last year, and two more are scheduled to close this year. The employees of these stores are also to be distributed to other locations. How this is supposed to work remains an open question, especially since the Sports Direct discount store requires much less consulting than Eybl did before. The works councils suspect that there will be more part-time positions and marginal employees in the future. This is the only way to maintain the headcount. In addition, he said, pressure is exerted to get employees to leave voluntarily.
Source: https://diepresse.com/home/wirtschaft/economist/3865540/Sind-hier-nicht-in-England_Heftige-Kritik-an-EyblEigentumern