Following the media fallout of Sports Direct‘s treatment of shopfloor staff and Shirebrook warehouse workers, the company‘s board will hold a vote on whether an investigation should be held.
The workers‘ union Unite has called for this independent inquiry into the company‘s controversial staff conduct after MPs said it was run “like a Victorian workhouse”.
Unite have sent a letter to shareholders of the company claiming that Sports Direct has suffered in the eyes of the public due to the findings.
In light of this, they urged them to vote on a review of both zero-hour contracts and paying the living wage.
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Despite the board of directors urging shareholders to vote against the review, sources have said it was likely to have backing at the annual general meeting in September.
Although Sports Direct’s billionaire owner Mike Ashley started his own review in December last year, Unite has claimed this was not independent enough due to the law firm RPC, who carried out the review, having acted for Ashley in the past.
Sports Direct have been the subject of media attention since the Guardian reported on the conditions at their main warehouse, dubbed “The Gulag”.
Workers were under constant CCTV surveillance and subject to daily strip searches.
They were also sacked if they got more than six “strikes” in as many months, strikes include excessive toilet breaks and using mobile phones.
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