Sports Direct warehouse staff “docked 15 minutes pay for being one minute late”

Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley has come before MPs today to explain some of his high street chain's most controversial employment policies - and the picture that emerges about what it's like to work at one of its key warehouses is pretty bleak indeed.

Ashley has admitted that docking 15 minutes pay for being one minute late for work at his Sports Direct Shirebrook Warehouse in Derbyshire is "unacceptable" and "unreasonable". https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740137009440804864 https://twitter.com/kadhimshubber/status/740137186897563648 The reaction wasn't great... https://twitter.com/jamesdoleman/status/740136890393858048 https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740132197521326081 https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740142385259261952 https://twitter.com/AbiWilks/status/740120845402701824 Other grim employment details are coming out as the Business, Innovations and Skills Parliamentary Select Committee investigate working practices at the Derbyshire warehouse. Simon Neville, business editor with BuzzFeed UK, is inside the committee hearing and has been live-tweeting proceedings. Plenty of information on the pay practices and the use of zero-hour contracts at the company came out during the hearing: https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740113173710245888 https://twitter.com/kadhimshubber/status/740150185855160320 https://twitter.com/kadhimshubber/status/740150091193929732 https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740114757156495360 https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740115146270461952 These pre-paid debt cards are mostly given to workers from Eastern Europe: https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740119865579737088 https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740121241521098752 https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740121834289569792 https://twitter.com/kadhimshubber/status/740140897187340288   The Unite union, which represents the warehouse workers, also shared these alarming details about work conditions: https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740116026042486784 A BBC investigation last year said that ambulances were called out to Sports Direct's facilities in Derbyshire 76 times in two years. https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740138596544479232 He admitted he's not Father Christmas... https://twitter.com/sarahoconnor_/status/740137715639980032 https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740116841394274304 Somehow through all this he seemed to be doing well... https://twitter.com/MatthewGwyther/status/740143416533716992 Despite some alarming claims from unions... https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740118370192896000 https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740128117088477184 There were reports about sexism towards female staff... https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740127962788466688 ...which led to this The Thick Of It-style moment: https://twitter.com/tompeck/status/740145050609430528 The agency Transline, which supplies staff to Sports Direct, also came in for a grilling: https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740122982039867393 https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740123164794093568 https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740124267321413632 They dispute the evidence that has been heard so far, of course: https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740128324270329856

So what's going to happen as a result of all this disclosure?

Well, Ashley says he's involved in an "ongoing process" of investigating working conditions - though it's not clear if he's ultimately the one who can and will implement any changes.

https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740131032096223232 https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740150934920122368 Plus his stated commitment to transparency has been called into question: https://twitter.com/SimonNeville/status/740151293558325248 Do you work, or have you worked at a Sports Direct, or on a zero hour contract somewhere else? If you want to share your experiences confidentially, mail us: Hello@JOE.co.uk, or message us on Facebook.