Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Bargain Booze and Staff Exploitation

On Friday I heard that the friendly, helpful staff at our local Bargain Booze were sacked. Why? Were they all in some conspiracy to defraud the company? Were they idle? Were they abusive to customers? No. The new manager wants to run it himself, with his family. So, six girls on the dole for no reason other than the God of Profit. Here's the email I sent Bargain Booze. Feel free to copy and modify it and send it to them (info@bargainbooze.co.uk) if you feel, as I do that these girls have been poorly treated by a large national company.

I have used Bargain Booze for several years now, partly due to the excellent prices and partly due to the friendly staff. Some weeks ago I was introduced to the new store manager at the Church Street, Tamworth, Staffordshire shop. Last Friday, 10th August I went in to buy some cans and as I left the girls said something along the lines of 'Say goodbye, this is our last week.' When I asked why I was told the new manager had terminated their employment and he was going to run the shop himself with the help of his family. Quite honestly I was appalled. All these girls have worked at the shop for some time, so one assumes that their ability to do the job is not in question. They are always pleasant, polite and helpful. As far as I am aware, they are honest and loyal. To terminate someone's employment without good reason must surely be illegal and if not it should be. It is without doubt immoral. Some time ago I asked the manager how they sold their beers so cheaply. I was told that it was because stock was bought in such large quantities on a national level that Bargain Booze could virtually name their own price. One might reasonably expect such a large company with its obvious financial muscle to be able to insist that existing staff be retained as part of the franchise. Or is this another example of profit before people? If this, as I suspect, is the case then I must consider withdrawing my small contribution to the said profit and take my custom elsewhere.
I look forward to your response.

Regards

Paul Higgins


Monday, August 06, 2007

Fingerprinting Your Kids

Just received an email that linked to this
More here
An excellent piece here:

Googling 'fingerprinting children' will give you a wealth of information. It seems the 'fingerprinters' (as might be expected) are all for it and advocate the benefits. However, the 'fingerprintees' or their guardians are a little more sceptical.
Two of the against arguments, just for those who do not see an issue, are that it 'normalises' biometric use, making it seem trivial for youngsters who know no better. Which could lead to obvious security issues in later life. Also, using passwords means that in the event of identity theft or passwords being hacked or stolen, one has merely to change ones password. In the event of biometrics being stolen, and I believe the criminals will find a way once it becomes popular and financially viable, they haven't stolen your password. They have stolen you!