Sainsburys DKH

[Lynne]

Di anyone go there this morning? It was bitterly, bitterly cold. My hands were numb by the time I'd finished. The poor staff. When I remarked on it they asked me to complain to Head Office (which I've done) as they've been waiting since August for the problem to be sorted out

It must have been well below any legal limits for temperature, if such regulations still exist. Why the staff didn't walk out, I don't know. Perhaps that would mean the end of their jobs.

[sunbob]

Yes, you have to clock in and out on a machine and only get paid when your clocked in.

[FredCasa]

Definitely, I’ll complain to head office as well. 

[Lynne]

They weren't exactly overflowing with sympathy at HQ. Said the staff had no right to ask a member of the public to complain on their behalf. So I said that instead of grumbling about their staff they should reward them for loyalty in working in such conditions

[Earl Aelfheah]

Quickly looked this up. Relevant guidance on Workplace temperatures - GOV.UK :

Quote

There's no law for minimum or maximum working temperatures, eg when it's too cold or too hot to work. However, guidance suggests a minimum of 16ºC or 13ºC if employees are doing physical work. There's no guidance for a maximum temperature limit.

...so probably reliant on Sainsbury's choosing to do the right thing, rather than being compelled to unfortunately.

Edited January 10 by Earl Aelfheah

[Sue]

8 hours ago, Lynne said:

They weren't exactly overflowing with sympathy at HQ. 

This doesn't surprise me in the least, having once had a discussion with someone at their HQ.

But Sainsbury's in general are awful, in my opinion. I only go to the DKH Sainsbury's now if I have to pick up something from Argos, and I never use them for deliveries.

In the olden days, aka my childhood, Sainsbury's had such a good reputation, too, albeit before they became supermarkets.

How things change.

ETA: Come to think of it, I do also go there to take my plastic recycling once I have a big bag of it, and I did get passport photos there, so it's not all bad 😂

Edited January 10 by Sue

[Insuflo]

As a customer of DKH I have sympathy with the staff but this a matter for their trade union to address.

The law states that temperatures in the workplace must be “reasonable”, and adds guidance that a reasonable minimum temperature is 16C for sitting down jobs like checkouts or 13C for physical work like packing and stacking. 

The law also states that there must be easily readable thermometers installed in the workplace so that staff can check the temperature. When I still worked, these would be mercury thermometers red-lined at 16C, so staff knew when it was permissible to stop work if they were uncomfortable. However, I always worked in trade union represented jobs. I suspect (but certainly don’t know) that a lot of Sainsbury’s staff these days don’t bother to join the union, so are not protected (please put me right if you know otherwise). 

In any workplace, you either take collective action to improve things or just accept the conditions imposed on you. If staff are in a union, they need to take a hand in making sure the union and its reps do their job in representing them.

Edited January 10 by Insuflo

[Earl Aelfheah]

Looks like they do recognise a trades union USDAW - Sainsbury’s and Usdaw sign a new national agreement to improve trade union organising and representation within the business

[Insuflo]

Yes, Sainsbury’s do recognise USDAW but I wonder what proportion of shop floor staff actually join up these days. Or become H&S reps etc. Unions only work if people participate.

[NewWave]

as a retail worker I was once a member of USDAW I found they only have teeth when the majority of employees in a company are members.

I remember in a former job I needed their help and found them somewhat flaky and therefore never re-enrolled in my next job.

even if a union gets involved with something like working temparature it could take months to get a resolution..and then it'll be spring.

[womanofdulwich]

It seemed very cold there last night. I assumed there was a heating  problem.

[Sue]

If everybody boycotted the DKH Sainsbury's, no doubt the heating would quickly be either turned up or fixed 🤬

Any journalists on here who would like to publicise it in the local press?

[Ruskin]

My wife was told that they'd run out of gas. Perhaps we'll all have none this time next week?

 

https://metro.co.uk/2025/01/11/uk-running-gas-shortage-level-warning-explained-22341055/

[Angelina]

It wasn’t cold this morning, but no mince pies left

[vladi]

14 hours ago, Sue said:

If everybody boycotted the DKH Sainsbury's, no doubt the heating would quickly be either turned up or fixed 🤬

Any journalists on here who would like to publicise it in the local press?

What good would it do reporting it to the press?

If one thinks it is a major issue, just for a moment, think about the hardship in cities in Ukraine where residents  are lucky to get one hour of electricity a day and where water is not being pumped to residential blocks.

[Sue]

56 minutes ago, Ruskin said:

My wife was told that they'd run out of gas. Perhaps we'll all have none this time next week?

 

https://metro.co.uk/2025/01/11/uk-running-gas-shortage-level-warning-explained-22341055/

How can a supermarket "run out of gas"? Was that a joke?

The Metro article is referring to the central gas supply, surely? Which hasn't actually run out yet.

 

37 minutes ago, vladi said:

What good would it do reporting it to the press?

If one thinks it is a major issue, just for a moment, think about the hardship in cities in Ukraine where residents  are lucky to get one hour of electricity a day and where water is not being pumped to residential blocks.

I said "local" press.

And the reason would be that the bad publicity might push Sainsbury's head office to improve what sound like presently appalling conditions for their DKH staff to work in.

Yes of course there are terrible things happening all over the world. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to change things which we might be able to have an immediate impact on locally.

[Lynne]

By Vladi's argument no-one in Britain should ever complain about anything at all because there are always other people suffering more than we are somewhere in the world.

Perhaps its just me, but when I waited 12 hours in Kings A and E with a heart attack  the thought that I'm lucky to have an NHS wasn't much comfort at 3.00am in a hard plastic chair.

Sorry, Vladi, try to remember your argument next time your train's cancelled or you wait 12 hours in A and E. Sometimes complaint is the only way to effect change.

[Ruskin]

On 11/01/2025 at 12:57, Sue said:

How can a supermarket "run out of gas"? Was that a joke?

The Metro article is referring to the central gas supply, surely? Which hasn't actually run out yet.

 

I said "local" press.

And the reason would be that the bad publicity might push Sainsbury's head office to improve what sound like presently appalling conditions for their DKH staff to work in.

Yes of course there are terrible things happening all over the world. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to change things which we might be able to have an immediate impact on locally.

I'm relaying what my wife was told so not a joke.

[vladi]

23 hours ago, Lynne said:

By Vladi's argument no-one in Britain should ever complain about anything at all because there are always other people suffering more than we are somewhere in the world.

Perhaps its just me, but when I waited 12 hours in Kings A and E with a heart attack  the thought that I'm lucky to have an NHS wasn't much comfort at 3.00am in a hard plastic chair.

Sorry, Vladi, try to remember your argument next time your train's cancelled or you wait 12 hours in A and E. Sometimes complaint is the only way to effect change.

Lynne, I do sympathise having gone to Kings A&E on 6th December. I sat on a chair for 7 hours followed by lying on a trolley for 11 hours before having emergency abdominal operation. I was in for 4 nights.
Complaining would not have changed things as the staff were evidently working flat out and the place was mobbed.
Ever since,  I thank my lucky stars that it happened when it did because within 2 weeks the whole of Kings was swamped by the impact of Covid, Flu' , RSV, Norovirus, etc etc
I do hope you are recovering well

 

[Sue]

6 hours ago, Ruskin said:

I'm relaying what my wife was told so not a joke.

I didn't mean you were joking.

I mean whoever told your wife that may have been joking! Possibly with a straight face.

It would be highly unlikely that just one building in the whole area would run out of gas, surely? 

Unless they have a system like caravans and someone forgot to change the bottles 😀