Tesco staff in nearly 2,000 stores to clean shops after contractors axed...
 

Tesco is getting rid of contract cleaners in nearly 2,000 stores with their duties, including washing windows and floors, being transferred to store staff.

Starting on 24 August staff working in 1,920 of Tesco’s smaller Metro and Express supermarkets will have to take on new tasks, such as cleaning floors and windows as well as the shelves and fridges. They will also have to start cleaning their own break rooms and toilets.

The move is a surprise at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has made high hygiene standards a top priority for retailers.

Tesco said the cleanliness of its stores had “never been more important” and store budgets would be increased to give employees the additional time needed to complete cleaning tasks. It said a trial already carried out by the company had resulted in better and more consistent standards of cleanliness.

While non-food retailers, who were forced to close their doors during the lockdown period, are struggling for business, the supermarkets have been the big winners as Britons were forced to eat all their meals at home. Last month Tesco revealed soaring sales during the lockdown, with sales at established UK stores up 8.7% in the three months to 30 May. Sales of food increased by 12%.

The sales bonanza enjoyed by the supermarket made Tesco’s decision to pay a £635m dividend to shareholders earlier this year a controversial one. Critics argued that the largesse was misplaced given it had accepted a business rates holiday worth £585m from the government’s emergency coronavirus support package.

In another misstep, last month Tesco suffered one of the biggest ever shareholder revolts over executive pay after the outgoing chief executive Dave Lewis banked £6.42m last year. In his six years at the grocer he has received £29m.

Shareholders objected to a late change to part of an executive pay plan, which handed an additional £1.6m to Lewis and £900,000 to finance director Alan Stewart. The change involved removing online grocer Ocado from the group which Tesco’s share performance was being measured against. With Ocado included the two men would not have qualified for the extra payout.

One Tesco employee said having to do all the cleaning would be a “psychological blow” for an already overstretched workforce. “Like it or not there is still a stigma around being a cleaner. It’s a big ask when you have been busting a gut on the checkout or filling shelves to have to do this as well. If a store is not doing well then overtime gets cut and people end up being quite stretched. The danger is staff will not have enough time to clean properly.”

One insider told the Guardian that staff felt “stabbed in the back” after working flat out to keep shelves full for shoppers during the lockdown. “Tesco are trying to cut costs and it stinks,” they said.


Tesco staff are being promised training on how to perform their new tasks. The company will still use contract cleaners for specialist tasks such as cleaning external signage, pressure washing and removing graffiti.

In a statement Tesco said: “Currently we use third-party suppliers for cleaning. Following a successful trial, we have found that giving our stores more ownership and control over their cleaning results in better and more consistent standards. We will now roll this out to all our Express stores and convenience Metro stores.”


https://www.theguardian.com/business...ntractors-axed

I can understand why people will be passed about having to do extra work but I guess its either get rid of contractors or get rid of staff so they are protecting their staff in that sense

Well one would expect an increase in salary if they are expected to now do these duties, in addition to their usual contracts.

I find this on the surface, a surprising move really.
Nothing wrong with staff cleaning shelves down before filling up with stock.
Or the odd spillage too.

To have to take on all cleaning duties seems a little unfair.
Still the big supermarkets do anything they like anyway with staff.

I don't think they should kick up a fuss and act like they are above cleaning, a lot of jobs have staff do the cleaning

Horrendous decision, this is a food shop, it should have proper experienced cleaners not someone running around with a dirty cloth at the end of their shift..I never shop there and this would make me think twice about ever buying anything food related in their stores

The move is a surprise at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has made high hygiene standards a top priority for retailers.

This says it all really

this is what happens in every company across the board. People are let go and those left behind are expected to take up the slack and they are too scared to complain in case they get the chop too. It sucks

They tried this in the bookies a few years back, got (in my shop at least) a resounding "**** off none of us are cleaning toilets" and eventually had to give us a discretionary budget to pay for cleaning 4 days a week (day on day off). On the other days they just didn't get cleaned.

Its fine to expect cleaning if it was part of the job description and contract when the staff member started the job. It's unreasonable and unfair to try to shoehorn it into the job role at a later date.

It's not part of original contracts.

In the Store I go to.
If something gets broken and spills on the floor.
The staff can't touch it.
Just make sure no one goes near it.

The cleaning staff are called to clear it up and away.

Similarly the milk aisle.
If there's a leaking one or more.
The staff remove them but the cleaning staff have to come and mop up and clean the area.

It isn't right to at a stroke for likely no extra wages, to pile another set of duties on top of already agreed contract duties.

I understand them kicking off.
I doubt few in that situation wouldn't actually.

Every medium+ sized company, yes. Its one of the main reasons I left and will never work for one again.

...I have to say that at the school we’ve all taken on various cleaning roles as well..and that’s fine, we’ve all been cool with that...but it’s been an add on/an extra to the cleaning that is contracted...just because these have been times when we’ve wanted to take extra care with all hygiene...to add these extra duties though and then have other staff jobless is pretty awful...

That is slightly different though, as you are cleaning during the day in addition to the regular daily clean, and that is for the protection of staff and students, imagine sacking the cleaners and saying right now you guys can clean before/after work as well as topping up during the school day

...yeah that’s what I say, an ‘add on/extra’ is fine if it’s felt it’s needed in various areas...but to add the duties for staff and then have cleaning contractors jobless is pretty grim...

such poor decision for a food shop at any time, but now just makes no sense at all, its not like their business has been affected by Covid, people still have to eat

Yeah, absolutely. Supermarkets were thriving all through Lockdown. And as a place that has such a volume of people both working there and passing through all day, everyday it's crazy that they don't have full time cleaning staff in there, now of all times

...the supermarkets must surely be making more profit than ever because they very rarely have offers anymore either...I felt faint at the cost of virgin olive oil a few weeks ago...

Yeah, not only were people stockpiling "just incase" during Lockdown, people were definitely eating and drinking more being stuck at home for 2 months, I know I was anyway plus no eating out etc

...and a huge increase in alcohol buying for many as well, which is big profit for the supermarket...plus all of those extras they sell like clothing/homeward etc...those sections have possibly boomed as well as other retail has been closed...

*Tesco to its employees*

Supermarkets have been making bank throughout the entirety of the pandemic, this isn't something motivated by trying to save jobs, it's a move motivated by pure greed.

Getting rid of their cleaning contractor in the middle of a pandemic while heaping even more work on their staff without increasing their pay is grotesque.

Spot on!

Remember though people 'we're all this together, we are here to help and see you through these difficult times'

*raises prices, lays off cleaners*

Every Little Helps :)

There will have to be new contracts surely and pay adjusted?

Probably not, it's likely already in their contracts that they'll agree to responsibilities shifting around.

They likely won't get extra pay unless it leads to extra hours, which I doubt. They'll likely be expected to do the cleaning and the same amount of work they did before in the same amount of time. Gross.

I guess I'm just use to doing jobs where cleaning is involved