Outraged staff in some Tesco stores say the company is cutting costs by not replacing workers when they leave - despite the retailer’s claim that it will create 10,000 jobs this year.
Staff levels have been falling since late last year, according to inside sources, meaning pressure is being piled on store managers and their staff to cope with the extra workload.
Ten staff that have left one Herefordshire-based standard format store since January have not been replaced and Tesco has no plans to do so, claimed one employee.
“We keep losing staff and, because there is not enough left, we have to keep doing extra work,” he said. “If the jobs are not all finished we get it right in the neck.”
And a Tesco Express worker said he believed his store was understaffed when he joined the company five months ago. Since then, two members have left without being replaced, which is making his workload difficult to cope with during shifts.
He added that he has attempted to complain about the matter to his management team. “All they say is that there isn’t a budget for it,” he said. “It is even harder covering overtime if someone is off sick.”
An Extra employee claimed her store is so understaffed that she is under pressure to stack the aisles during night shifts much more quickly than before.
“They have just got rid of all staff with temporary contracts at my store so it is getting worse. I don’t know how we are going to survive,” she said.
Another source said since his store cut all of its overtime late last year his team is being called to the tills more often to cater for long queues, which is making shelf stacking difficult.
A Tesco spokesman said store managers have the authority to decide at a local level whether staff are replaced, depending what is right for their branch. He added that the business is expanding and new store openings will create up to 10,000 jobs this year.
Staff levels have been falling since late last year, according to inside sources, meaning pressure is being piled on store managers and their staff to cope with the extra workload.
Ten staff that have left one Herefordshire-based standard format store since January have not been replaced and Tesco has no plans to do so, claimed one employee.
“We keep losing staff and, because there is not enough left, we have to keep doing extra work,” he said. “If the jobs are not all finished we get it right in the neck.”
And a Tesco Express worker said he believed his store was understaffed when he joined the company five months ago. Since then, two members have left without being replaced, which is making his workload difficult to cope with during shifts.
He added that he has attempted to complain about the matter to his management team. “All they say is that there isn’t a budget for it,” he said. “It is even harder covering overtime if someone is off sick.”
An Extra employee claimed her store is so understaffed that she is under pressure to stack the aisles during night shifts much more quickly than before.
“They have just got rid of all staff with temporary contracts at my store so it is getting worse. I don’t know how we are going to survive,” she said.
Another source said since his store cut all of its overtime late last year his team is being called to the tills more often to cater for long queues, which is making shelf stacking difficult.
A Tesco spokesman said store managers have the authority to decide at a local level whether staff are replaced, depending what is right for their branch. He added that the business is expanding and new store openings will create up to 10,000 jobs this year.
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