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Any solicitors – Employment Law

Bit of advice please Lifers.
Might be nothing But it doesn't sit right with me.
My 17 yo has got a part time job whilst at college in a sports/clothing store.
He is prob the most honest kid you'll meet and has never ever been in trouble with authority
However, when he finishes work he is searched, lifting his top up, trousers leg up, bag searched before he can leave.
He was also asked to g out to The street to approach a customer who had set an alarm off.

What you reckon, does it sound right to you??
Thanks
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Comments

  • If it's company procedure there's nothing you can do. At Comet they put a scanner over you to make sure you hadn't taken anything.
  • It ain't right but you may be sure that no employment tribunal will find on behalf of the young man. The young have minimal rights in the court of human decency :-((
  • Yet rapist and child killers are innocent until proven guilty???
    Messed up Country we live in.
  • Can he nick me some trainers?
  • They took his shoe size so he can't use his 10% discount for anybody else.
  • edited October 2013
    I had similar at his age, or close enough (16), I worked at a Apple Service Provider. Following a spate of Hard Drive thefts* every member of staff was lined up up at 1730 one evening, taken to a desk - made to sign a disclosure, then escorted to the door and searched. The result of this was nothing being found, employees feeling crap, and being advised that it wasn't actually legal due to the situation in which we were made to sign the disclosure. (I should note, I didn't seek legal advice over this situation - but my later dismissal due to them being a complete bunch of bast*rds.)

    It may be worth reading this http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/03/07/2007/41297/legal-q.htm - but to summarise, I suspect there was something in his contract about this which could nullify any argument.

    As a side note, what was he expected to do upon confronting someone outside of work? I'm sure many of the legal lot on here will jump in; but without any training surely that would present a safety risk, and should he have tried to stop the individual and not got hurt himself - he would most likely have been liable for assault?

    I know jobs can be bloody hard at the moment, especially for young ones, but he needs to keep his eyes open for anywhere else in my mind..

    *If they'd just asked us first I'm sure someone would've said "Oh, soandso has been coming in bragging about his new hard drive array a fair amount recently."; I would've probably dropped the fecker in it too as he'd timed his thefts to coincide with me joining the company! He'd also nicked them from machines that I'd logged work on, so there was a trail in the internal database of me being the last member of staff to work on those machines..
  • Lol, ridiculous
    Its the guilty til proved innocent mindset I can't get my head round, surely that's why they ask and check for previous convictions and references for???
  • I think you need to move on as only bitterness will linger if not m8
  • Mate I'm not that bitter to be fair, just find it a bit laughable they can nigh on strip search teenager, if it was my daughter I'd have been up there already and she wouldn't be going back.
  • Who does he work for? Sounds like sports direct.
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  • The thing is my brother in law totally off the cuff said the same thing, he was at another store and said he watched a member of staff being searched in front of customers at the front door (himself included) he said he was gobsmacked that's when my Boy piped up and said, 'yeah, that's what they do to me'
  • edited October 2013
    So he is also on a zero hours contract? They are scum bags.

    In his contract somewhere I am sure they will have a clause relating to searches. Probably the employment handbook. M&S have notices in the bsck area saying staff or visitors maybe searched.
  • Your son could put in a grievance if he's uncomfortable about it. If there's harrassment or humiliation involved that would be good grounds. Could be other grounds, As you say it doesn't 'sit right' but be specific about what it is that isn't acceptable versus what is reasonable in the circumstances or allowed under contract (as Kap points out). The staff handbook and/or contract will have details of the grievance procedure. Also suggest to your son joining USDAW. You know this is a bad company and worse is likely to happen the longer he stays there; http://www.usdaw.org.uk/
  • They have clearly had problems with staff nicking stuff in the past. I have been searched going to football matches! I think it is something you just have to accept.

    Having said that, Zero hours contracts are a complete disgrace.
  • Kap10 said:

    Who does he work for? Sounds like sports direct.


    Don't they have security guards on the door? It's their job to stop people when the alarm goes off.
  • No SG at this store
  • is it Eltham and did he start last weekend?
  • Yet rapist and child killers are innocent until proven guilty???
    Messed up Country we live in.

    Yes, especially if they are innocent.
  • rikofold said:

    Yet rapist and child killers are innocent until proven guilty???
    Messed up Country we live in.

    Yes, especially if they are innocent.

    Jesus
    I'm talking about the ones that are red handed guilty, they still are innocent and treated that way until trial.

    Do I have to Google their names and spell it out?
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  • I feel for your son i do.

    Legally the company is entitled to use that policy as long as everyone is subject to it in the same way.

    Legally your son is not obliged to confront any member of the public in that way. In fact it opens up a can of worms, lets say there was a mistake..wrong information maybe...your son acts upon it, he could find himself in a horrible situation.

    your son and u seem to have had your principles.offended by this and rightly so. Is there anywhere a little more likeminded in outlook that he could find a job? I think these jobs for.teenagers.can be as much about gaining life experience as the dough and it sounds like he is not enjoying it. Maybe a more indpendent business would be better for him.

    trainer shops are.crapholes of the highest order in terms of most service provided.


    lewisham footlocker, saturday.morning

    "What.u lookin at me sta"

    "Trying to buy some trainers mate"

    "Is it?" (Kisses.teeth) "cha.. nah aint got time.for u blood"

    and that was the manager :)
  • Thinking back a long time one of my first jobs was in a store in Regent st (74 ish) and staff were had their bags checked every evening on leaving. So it's not new.
  • I had a part time job when I was younger in a clothes store and they used to search our bags on the way out but body searches is a bit ott.

    Asking a teenage lad to confront members of the public is out of order and as above will end in disaster.
  • He was a fair size Polish fella, my son is 6f 2'' but nice as pie. The fella just didn't have the tag out of his trainers after the alarm went off, my son had to go down escalator and out to Street to stop him.
    Fella was really pissed off.
    Told him not to do it again, he won't be there too long, he's too good for that.
  • Searches on a 17yo by I assume a bloke and in front of customers both sound borderline dodgy. Is it with U16 or U18 you'd need a CRB check? Tell your lad to pick the fittest adult women in the place and say "I'll only be searched by her"
  • If its JD Sports , get him to look for a new job worst employer i have every dealt with Daughter lost her job with them sure scum
  • Being searched in front of customers is wrong and can result in humiliation of the employee which is technically a no no.
    Apart from that, they can do what they want as long as it is stated in the contract
  • Off_it said:
    Not all law that emanates from the EU is necessarily bad per se Offy.

    The issue is WHO should be making the laws that affect the people of the UK?

    My primary objection to the EU is the democratic deficit whereby laws (good or bad) are forced upon us by an unelected commission and a puppet parliament in which we ha ve a stake of c 8.5%.

    Workers rights should be protected and the UK government should be doing that irrespective of what the rest of the countries in the EU may or may not be doing.

    But this is not what the thread is about!
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