Ambulances were called to a Sports Direct warehouse on 82 occasions in the past two years, an investigation into working conditions at the high-street retail giant has revealed.
A woman giving birth in a toilet, a man suffering a stroke and a worker having a fit were among the scores of emergencies at the company’s headquarters in Shirebrook, Derbyshire.
The figures, which include 36 “life-threatening” incidents, were uncovered by the BBC, which heard from staff who said they were scared to take time off work sick.
Three of the call-outs were for women having difficulties with pregnancy, according to information released by East Midlands Ambulance Service under the Freedom of Information Act (FoI).
The sportswear company, founded by Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, has been criticised for employing 20,000 workers on zero-hours contracts – which accounts for around 90 per cent of the workforce – which trade unions said are exploitative.
Protesters dressed in Dickensian attire picketed the firm’s AGM last month and accused them of operating a “workhouse not a workplace” – a charge denied by the company’s board members.
Among the more serious incidents uncovered by the investigation, which will air on BBC1’s Inside Out East Midlands tonight, was 52-year-old Guntars Zarins, who suffered a stroke in the warehouse canteen. His daughter Liga Zarina-Shaw said that her father was too frightened to take the day off work despite having flu-like symptoms.
She said: “He was so worried about his job he was even scared to take one day sick. What is happening there is not normal.”
She added that the family does not blame Sports Direct for his stroke, which left him partially paralysed.
She said people felt they had to work despite feeling unwell for fear of a “six strikes” policy, in which anyone who gets six warnings in six months will lose their job. It is alleged that warnings are issued to workers for taking long toilet breaks, excessive chatting and for having time off for sickness.
Professor Steven Bevan, a Government adviser on workplace health, told the programme: “The evidence is pretty concerning. If people are in an environment where they, despite genuine illness or injury, fear having time off work, then that’s probably not compliant with health and safety legislation.”
Sports Direct say its own records show 24 ambulance calls were made directly from the warehouse.
Keith Hellawell, the chairman, told shareholders at the AGM that he was satisfied the company complied with health and safety regulations, adding: “I am proud of this organisation and I am proud of the way this organisation operates.”
Claire Jenkins, a non-executive director, said: “The six strikes policy is actually not dreadful at all, in fact, compared to an awful lot of employers, six strikes is actually deemed to be quite generous. We are satisfied we are providing good conditions.”
