to be annoyed by being paid for work via a pocketmoney card?

[hamptonhangingpork]

Just want to see if I am being unreasonable here.

I've picked up a job as a Christmas Temp at Tesco this Winter, gave in my bank details as requested for being paid as per the letter contract.

However, in the post today, I've received a Tuxedo prepay card. Yes kids, the same thing you'd give your teenager. I will be paid through this pre-loaded card to save Tesco on their administrative fees.

Infantilising at best I know, however I could suck it up were it not for the fact that it will cost me money to use for bills, direct debits etc. etc. I know I can use it in the shops, but I feel like it's an extra burden on those of us who are picking up extra hours working in a shop. You know, just to pay bills.

What do you think? Has anyone else had this experience?

And for the record, no, the pocketmoney card was not mentioned at all in any of the recruitment gumpf, contract or anywhere outside a Google search which has yielded that Tesco are using it for their temp staff.

I think this bodes VERY badly for the future.

I might seem dramatic but it's all a bit Big Brother isn't it?

so shocked - have a choice locally between tesco and sainsburys and will not shop with tesco again. i am now wondering who else is doing this to seasonal workers!!
i wonder what legislation it falls fowl of - someone upthread mentioned DPA - wouldn't be surprised if OP unwittingly ticked a box to allow info to be shared new GDPR legislation will stop that next year
smacks of sex discrimination ie little woman doing a bit of extra hours for christmas shopping???? i wonder what stats are for seasonal workers?

'Have you had confirmation op that this is an ongoing arrangement and not just an interim measure for the first month? Giving up the job seems extreme, why don't you speak to the store manager and HR person and see if they can swap your payment method over with immediate effect'

RTFT! It's a temp seasonal job, she can pick up another one. And she rang payroll several times and they hung up on her and no, she can't swap.

I am seriously impressed with your diagram OP

Wow this is fucked up, and sounds at least dodgy if not illegal.

Desmondo - all of that seems reasonable if I was on a permanent contract and paid in the traditional manner.

However, the pocketmoney card is the shit icing on the arse biscuit of a Tesco cake.

I was baited and switched when I was offered the job - I went for a role that I was told at interview wasn't available (it was) and was slung in the one department I didn't want to be.

No one expected me for my first shift so I wasn't actually trained. A team leader did the validation sheet herself and got me to sign it.

So in addition to not getting the job I want, not being trained I was also called to be reamed out after a couple of shifts. The system had me down for the wrong, unagreed core hours and where the he'll was I?

The contract which Tesco breached was written so that they could fire me at any time, but I would have to give them notice. It also threatens to sack you if you aren't able to make it to a shift outside core hours after Tesco is supposed to get in touch with you 24hrs before the shift was meant to start.

So, in summary. Aibu to Ltb?

I wouldn't normally advacate this but...

HAND YOUR NOTICE IN AND CALL IN SICK FOR THE NEXT WEEK.

So sorry you're in this position

Fascinating. Watching with interest.
I had some off chicken from Tesco recently, filled in a form, they sent gift vouchers and followed up with a call to see how I was doing.

Nothing wrong with the phone line at all
I am also one who could choose between shops, Waitrose is a little bit further than Tesco but on principle I could swap. ARE YOU WATCHING THIS TESCO.
Disgraceful way to treat staff.

If you want another Christmas job, apply to Next, they hardly ever turn a temp down.

What? Surely that can’t be legal??? Disgraceful from Tesco. They should pay their staff, all staff, properly.

It’s like because you’re a temp you’re seen as lesser and don’t deserve the privilege of being payed via PAYE.

Happy to stop shopping with them over this if they don’t sort it out.

Shut like this is why I now only shop in Lidl. Tesco treat their staff and their suppliers like shit.

I see Tesco hasn't changed from 20+ years ago. Had an evening stock control job there in addition to my f/t work. Worked my arse off. Very little training or supervision and my manager looked just like Curly Watts. Because of a total lack of equipment, I often had to go beg, borrow or steal a stool (so I could reach - am only 5ft) or even a pdq machine from someone so I could actually do my job. Got pulled up by Curly because someone had reported seeing me 'wandering around' one evening. Was so upset that, at the end of my shift, I wrote my polite but forthright 'notice' on a scrap of paper and left it pinned in full view on his noticeboard in the office. Never went back, other than to dump my uniform off, and thankfully, never got persued for holiday pay.

Well done OP. It's so important to stand up against this sort of stunt. How dare they, what a lack of respect they're showing to their workers. Shame on them.

Found out a friend's DH has just picked up a temp job at Tesco for Christmas so I've sent her a link to this thread and told her to get her DH to check how he'll be paid.

Unfortunately, it's not that easy for us to boycot Tesco as we actually like the stuff from there and it's our nearest supermarket.

I’ve just tweeted Tesco. Just appalling. I hope you get this sorted. Not just for yourself but other people too. Do Tesco not grasp that people take Christmas jobs because they need the money

And to the PP who blamed the Torys....this has been occurring far longer than they've been in tower, so don't be so ducking stupid

They've been in power since 2010, and no, it hasn't.

Can’t. Believe they do this, - how the f do they think people can live like this. Suppose it’s one way to make you spend all your wage ta Tesco

This is disgraceful. Not only that, but it's a method of payment for work that takes us right back to the Victorian age, when factory and mill owners created their own currencies to pay their workers - which could only be spent in shops belonging to the very same factory and mill owners.

Workers objecting to the cycle of being effectively wage slaves set up the very first cooperative society which led to the Coop shops and banks we have today.

I would take this to Martyn Lewis, as someone has suggested.

This is outrageous and it seems (from the internet) that they have been doing it for some time. I hope this gets publicised more as I'm sure that they will lose some customers as a result...

Unfortunately, it's not that easy for us to boycot Tesco as we actually like the stuff from there and it's our nearest supermarket.

Should a boycott be easy? If it is easy to give something up it's unlikely to be a boycott. It would be easier and probably cheaper and certainly less time consuming for me not to boycott them but I can't in all good conscience give my money to Tesco when they are not paying their workers properly.

It's very much the thin end of the wedge and it will have an impact on all of us. Driving down wages and eroding basic employment rights has a negative effect on our economy and society... and that impacts on everyone.

Posters, let’s tweet them.

I have tweeted them asking why they think it’s an acceptable method of payment for employees. Tempted to tweet a link to this thread to Martin Lewis but I’ll leave that to the op.

Honestly, this company makes billions in profit. There’s really no need for them to cut corners like this. It’s infuriating.

I wont be giving tesco any more custom after reading about this. What utter twats

I have tweeted and asked my FB friends to do likewise.

I have rarely been so outraged before breakfast.

Tesco: Have you read this? What you're doing is illegal. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truck_Acts

I am tweeting now. Outrageous

Have you read your contract thoroughly? They can't really be paying you with a prepaid card unless it's in the contract. It's probably in there somewhere. Unless there is absolutely no mention of it you don't really have a leg to stand on.